CHINA TOPIX

12/22/2024 09:37:44 am

Make CT Your Homepage

Triple Blasts Rock Baghdad's Shiite Neighborhoods

People clean up in the aftermath of a car bomb attack in Baghdad, January 15, 2014.

(Photo : REUTERS/Ahmed Saad) People clean up in the aftermath of a car bomb attack in Baghdad, January 15, 2014.

At least 22 people were killed and 55 wounded after three blasts all occurring within an hour rocked Iraq's predominantly Shiite neighborhoods on Monday.

The bombings, two of which were confirmed to have been carried out through car bombs, were all staged near the vicinity of the capital's Sadr City and Al-Kadhimiyah districts.

Like Us on Facebook

In northwestern Sadr, a bomb reportedly exploded in the well-known Mredi market. Five were killed and at least 24 civilians were injured - most of whom were women and children, Baghdad police said.

On the other side of town, in Habibiyah south of Sadr, a car bomb went off. Three civilians and three policemen were killed from the attack, while at least 20 were wounded, the Associated Press relayed.

Local authorities said another car bomb exploded near a police checkpoint in a busy roundabout on Aden Square, just off the entrance leading to neighborhoods in northwestern Al-Kadhimiyah.

Eleven people were killed, including six policemen, and 31 others wounded as the blast shook surrounding structures, causing significant damage to private and police vehicles in the vicinity.

Interior ministry and health officials confirmed the fatalities but spoke under condition of anonymity.

The bombings occurred at a time when Baghdad was at its busiest between 6 to 8 p.m. At the time, civilians were out on the streets exchanging sweets in celebration of the Muslim feast Eid al-Ghadir.

Authorities have yet to identify those responsible for the attacks but Imran Khan of Al Jazeera posits that the bombings may have links to events in Iraq where government forces and Islamic State (ISIL) fighters engage in battle.

Khan said car bombs are usually linked to Anbar province, adding that these incidents are mostly against the ISIL.

Anbar, located west of the capital, has been the battling ground for Iraqi forces and the ISIL, who have managed to seize huge swathes of land in the north and west.

Real Time Analytics