Western Baghdad bomb blast leaves civilian killed, four wounded
Photos shared across social networks show pillows of smoke following a bomb blast in central Baghdad
“A person was killed, while four others were injured as a bomb, placed on the side of the road in the industrial district in abu Ghraib region, west of the capital,” the source told Baghdad Today.
“Security troops cordoned off the blast scene. Ambulances transferred the wounded to the hospital, while the victim was taken to forensic medicine department,” the source added.
Violence in the country has surged further with the emergence of Islamic State Sunni extremist militants who proclaimed an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2014.
A monthly count by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), which excludes security members deaths, said 297 Iraqis, were killed and injured due to violence and armed conflicts during the month of ِAugust. Baghdad was the most affected province with 45 deaths and 135 injuries.
Baghdad has seen almost daily bombings and armed attacks against security members, paramilitary groups and civilians since the Iraqi government launched a wide-scale campaign to retake IS-occupied areas in 2016. While most of of the explosions and attacks went without a claim of responsibility, Islamic State has claimed several incidents.
Despite the group’s defeat in its main havens across Iraqi provinces, observers believe the group may still constitute a security threat.