A bomb car at a local market in Baghdad killed at least 64 people and wounding 87 people on Wednesday. This attack was claimed by the Islamic State (ISIS).
The bomb was located at a crowded market in Shia Muslim district of Sadr City in Baghdad. It is known that the IS controls covers from the northern and western area of Iraq, and they have frequently targeted the eastern district of Sadr City, whom it considers heretics.
Let’s also remember that Sadr City is a city that holds many Shiite followers, and mainly the Shiite cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr, that has been holding protests for months, demanding to restore the political system that was put in place followed by the eradication of Saddam Hussein back in 2003.
Deadly bombing
The explosion was set near shops and market stalls that caught fire. A crowd of angry residents and investigators gathered at the scene, just around the charred remains of the SUV that was packed with the explosives.
A beauty salon and many barber shop that were close to it were among the buildings that were caught in the blast. Many victims were said to include brides and grooms getting ready for their weddings that were in the salon and the barber shop.
After the bomb exploded, many ambulances rushed to the scene as thousands of residents walked through the destroyed cars and other trash that were on the red stained streets, trying to help the victims that were stuck under debris.
Hussein Abdullah is a 28 years old owner of an electrical appliance store that said that politicians seem to be fighting each other in parliament and government while the people are being killed every day. Abdullah suffered several wounds due the bomb.
This is actually the second time that ISIS bombs out Baghdad. The last time was in February where about 73 people died.
Sadr City market is actually one of the largest in Baghdad since about 2.5 million of the 6 million people that lives in Baghdad reside in there. On this market, customers can find almost everything, from food to clothes among other merchandise.
ISIS’s death toll
The UN has calculated that about 741 Iraqis have been killed in April due the ongoing daily violence that the Middle East country is living. About 1,300 people were also wounded on that month. The death toll doesn’t stop there since the UN have also stated that in March at least 1,100 people were killed and about 1,500 were wounded only in Irak.
Source: Rudaw