By Ibrahim Saleh
BAGHDAD (AA): At least 23 people were killed and 16 others injured Monday evening a car laden with explosives went off in a crowded shopping area in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, according to a police officer.
The explosion took place in the busy Shia Muslim business district of Hay al-Amil on Monday evening.
“The explosion was caused by a car bomb left by unknown people at the 84th street in southern Baghdad, which is packed with markets,” police officer Hatem al-Jabri told Anadolu Agency earlier.
“The bombing caused the death of at least 13 people and 16 others injured,” he said.
“The bodies of victims and the injured were transferred to the nearby hospitals,” he said.
According to AFP, hours after the attack, it was claimed in an online statement by the Daesh terrorist group.
In recent months, bomb attacks — often featuring explosive-laden vehicles — have become commonplace in Iraq’s violence-prone capital.
The Iraqi authorities typically blame such attacks, which frequently target civilian areas, on the Daesh terrorist group, which captured large swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq in 2014.
Additional reporting by The Muslim News
[Archive photo: Suicide bombing wounded carried near market place al-Jadeed district of Baghdad on 25 April, 2016. Photographer: Amir Saadi/AA]
