Daesh Bombs Martyr 80 in Baghdad Attacks

Local Editor

In the deadliest attacks in Iraq, three suicide bombings claimed by Daesh [Arabic Acronym for the terrorist "ISIS"/ "ISIL"] across Baghdad martyred at least 80 people Wednesday, Iraqi police and hospital sources said.

The first attack, a suicide car bomb at a bustling market in the Sadr City, martyred 55 people during morning rush hour and wounded 68.

Two more blasts struck at the end of the working day. A suicide bomber stormed a security checkpoint leading into Kadhimiya, a northwestern area housing one of the holiest sites in Shiite Islam, killing 17 and wounding more than 30.

Another bomb went off at a checkpoint on a commercial thoroughfare in a predominantly Sunni district of western Baghdad, killing eight and wounding 20.

A pickup truck packed with explosives in Sadr City went off near a beauty salon in a bustling market. Many of the victims were women including several brides who appeared to be getting ready for their weddings, the sources said.

The bodies of two men said to be grooms were found in an adjacent barber shop. Wigs, shoes and children's toys were scattered on the ground outside. At least two cars were destroyed in the explosion, their parts scattered far from the blast site.

Rescue workers stepped through puddles of blood to put out fires and remove victims. Smoke was still rising from several shops hours after the explosion as a bulldozer cleared the burnt-out chassis of the vehicle used in the blast.

The blast set nearby shops on fire and left debris including the charred, twisted remains of a vehicle in the street.

Daesh said in statements circulated online by supporters that a car bomb had aimed at the militants in the area and two terrorists wearing explosive vests targeted security forces in the later attacks.

Wednesday's bombings could also intensify pressure on Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to resolve a political crisis that has crippled the government for more than a month.

The months-old political crisis has led to repeated mass demonstrations that required a huge security deployment and hampered government action at a time when Iraq is still battling militants on several fronts.

The UN's top envoy in Iraq, Jan Kubis, condemned the bloodshed.

"These are cowardly terrorist attacks on civilians who have done nothing but going about their normal daily lives," he said.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team