Bomb blast rocks marketplace in Baghdad, leaves two civilians wounded
Iraqi security forces inspect a site of a bomb attack in Baghdad. Khalid al Mousily/Reuters
Baghdad (Iraqinews.com) – Two people were wounded Sunday in a bomb blast in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, a security source was quoted as saying.
“An explosive charge went off at a marketplace in al-Taji district in northern Baghdad, leaving two civilians wounded,” the source told Alghad Press website.
“The injured were moved to a nearby hospital for treatment,” the source said, adding that security forces immediately rushed to the blast site and opened a probe into the attack.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State (IS) militant group, in most cases, is responsible for attacks targeting crowded areas, including markets, cafes and mosques across Iraq.
Violence in the country has surged further with the emergence of Islamic State extremist militants who proclaimed an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2014.
The surge in violence between armed groups and government forces has resulted in over five million internally displaced persons across Iraq and left more than 11 million in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Iraq declared the collapse of Islamic State’s territorial influence earlier in November with the recapture of Rawa, a city on Anbar’s western borders with Syria, which was the group’s last bastion in Iraq.
Despite the group’s crushing defeat at its main havens across Iraq, Islamic State continues to launch sporadic attacks against troops with security reports warning that the militant group still poses a threat against stability in the country.