UPDATED: Islamic State claims blast in Baghdad’s Sadr City, 2 bombs ensue
The aftermath of Karrada suicide bombing in Baghdad that took place in July 3.
Amaq news agency, a site linked to the militants, said in a statement distributed online that the attack had targeted a gathering of Shi’ite Muslims, which the ultra-hardline Sunni group considers apostates.
Just as the group’s announcement came out, two booby-trapped car explosions in the vicinity of two hospitals east of Baghdad left an indefinite number of casualties, according to the Interior Ministry.
Saad Maan, a spokesperson of the ministry’s Baghdad Operations, said in a statement that one of the two vehicles was parked near al-Kindi hospital, targeting a gathering of civilians in Palestine street, while the other exploded near al-Jawader hospital in al-Sadr City, also targeting civilians.
Maan said the two blasts left a yet-to-be-calculated number of casualties.
Since 2014, violence surged Across Iraq, with the Islamic State militants taking over wide areas of the country. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq said Sunday that violence in Iraq during 2016 left more than 12000 dead and more than 14000 wounded. According to the organization, those dead included 6.492 civilians and 5.546 military personnel. Deaths and injuries occurred in Baghdad, Salahuddin, Nineveh, Kirkuk, Anbar and Diyala, UNAMI said, adding that they occurred during military operations against Islamic State as well as in shootings, bombings and suicide attacks.