Flip The Switch Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 At least 125 people have been killed and about 150 injured in an explosion claimed by the so-called Islamic State group in Baghdad, Iraqi police say. A car bomb exploded on a busy street in the Karrada district late on Saturday. The mainly Shia area was busy with shoppers late at night because it is the holy month of Ramadan. Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi was met by angry crowds while visiting the scene on Sunday. He later declared three days of national mourning. A second bomb also exploded at about midnight in a predominantly Shia area north of the capital, killing another five people. The bombing in Karrada is the deadliest in Iraq this year and comes a week after Iraqi security forces recaptured the city of Falluja from Islamic State (IS) militants. Police said the dead included at least 15 children and six policemen. At least 12 other people were missing, feared dead. One senior Iraqi official warned that the death toll could rise still further. The US said on Sunday that the latest attack strengthened its resolve to support Iraqi forces in their fight against IS. "We remain united with the Iraqi people and government in our combined efforts to destroy Isil," the White House statement said, using another term for the group. line Deadly message from IS: Jeremy Bowen, BBC Middle East editor, Baghdad The destruction and death adds up to a clear message from the jihadists of so-called Islamic State. They are saying that even if they are defeated on the battlefield, they can still hit back where it really hurts - killing civilians in the centre of the Iraqi capital, and other capital cities, too. IS have just suffered a serious defeat at the hands of Iraqi forces in Falluja. The town, less than an hour's drive from Baghdad, has been in their hands since early 2014. IS are showing their supporters, and their enemies, that they are not beaten. So many were killed and wounded because the streets are crowded at night at the end of a day's fasting during Ramadan, with thousands in a mood to celebrate. It is only realistic to fear that there will be more attacks like this, as IS comes under more military pressure. In pictures: Baghdad blast Islamic State group: The full story line IS, which follows its own extreme version of Sunni Islam, said in an online statement that it had carried out the attack. Iraq's highest Sunni religious body, the Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq, called the bombing a "bloody crime, regardless of who carried it out or what their motivations were". The blast, which struck close to midnight, came from a refrigerator van packed with explosives, reports said. Many of those killed were children, Associated Press reported. Families gathered on the street on Sunday for news of missing loved ones. The explosion caused a huge fire on the main street. Several buildings, including the popular al-Hadi Centre, were badly damaged. Hussein Ali, a former Iraqi soldier, told AFP news agency that six workers at his family's shop had been killed and their bodies so badly burned that they could not be identified. Iraqis, including firefighters, gather at the site of a suicide car bombing claimed by the Islamic State group on July 3, 2016 in Baghdad's central Karrada district Image caption Among the worst-damaged buildings was the popular al-Hadi Centre Mr Abadi visited the scene in the morning, and was met by crowds who shouted "thief" and "dog". Video posted online appeared to show his convoy being pelted with stones. The BBC's Ahmed Maher in Baghdad says many people are angry at the deteriorating security situation and the fact that IS managed to reach the heart of the capital. IS still controls large swathes of territory in the country's north and west, including Mosul, Iraq's second largest city. But the group has been under pressure in Iraq and in neighbouring Syria, where it has been targeted by government forces and US-backed rebels. https://www.google.com/amp/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/36696568# Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5iVe Elements Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 Just saw this on Twitter RIP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flip The Switch Posted July 3, 2016 Author Share Posted July 3, 2016 They're saying now more than 300 died. This is sickening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Barthes Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 Will it be like this every day now ? Are we gonna feel sick and sorry, lit up our monuments in the colours of the country hit by terrorism and then move on to the next one, the next day ? It's time we ask our governments to act. The whole world must kneel before a bunch of archaic morons ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Saviour Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 There was a terroristic attack in a restaurant in Bangladesh as well two days ago. 20 people died, mostly westerns who weren't able to recite the Quran.They were tortured and their throat cut. 9 of the victims were italian (so it was a big deal here). One of the women killed was pregnant. I feel sick... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spazz Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 Absolutely horrible 😳😳😣😣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B. Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 😞 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzy Jan Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 Every day we are hearing of these atrocities and disregard for human life and dignity. It is too painful and horrible to contemplate and digest. RIP to all of the victims that should still be here. Disgusting and heart-breaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runa Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 RIP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonski43 Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 There was a terroristic attack in a restaurant in Bangladesh as well two days ago. 20 people died, mostly westerns who weren't able to recite the Quran.They were tortured and their throat cut. 9 of the victims were italian (so it was a big deal here). One of the women killed was pregnant. I feel sick... Don't the attack always seem to happen around Ramadan? I thought previous ones did too? It's all just so horrid though BBC saying 120 killed and 200 injured in Iraq. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Saviour Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 Don't the attack always seem to happen around Ramadan? I thought previous ones did too? It's all just so horrid though BBC saying 120 killed and 200 injured in Iraq. true, these people who think they represent the real and "purest" Islam (where God- Allah is described as full of mercy and where in the Quran you read that if you kill a human unjustly you kill the WHOLE humanity) don't even respect the holy month of their religion....They are just the worst scum EVER. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 Will it be like this every day now ? Are we gonna feel sick and sorry, lit up our monuments in the colours of the country hit by terrorism and then move on to the next one, the next day ? It's time we ask our governments to act. The whole world must kneel before a bunch of archaic morons ? I agree. It's so sad. The problem is knowing how to attack/deal with/suppress an ideal. The ideal needs to be dissipated close to the source. It's all so bizarre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rachelle of London Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 So sad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karbatal Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 Horrible. Terrorism strikes each day in Iraq Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.