Death toll from Baghdad bombing surpasses 290
July 7, 2016
An "Islamic State"-claimed bombing of a central Baghdad shopping area over the weekend has killed at least 292, Iraq's Health Ministry said on Thursday, upping the death toll for what was already the bloodiest attack since the US-led invasion of Iraq.
More than 200 people were also wounded in the suicide vehicle bomb attack on a busy shopping street in the Shiite Karrada district of Baghdad on Sunday.
Authorities are still trying to identify some bodies using DNA analysis.
The blast triggered widespread anger at the Iraqi government over the lack of security, adding to existing complaints about corruption, incompetence and poor services.
The attack towards the end of the holy month of Ramadan cast a dark shadow over the three-day Eid al-Fitr holiday that started on Wednesday.
The attack showed IS militants can continue to strike at the heart of Iraq after suffering a series of battlefield setbacks over the past few months.
It was one of a number of attacks suspected to have been carried out by the terrorist group of late, including in Turkey, Bangladesh, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
In a social media backlash, some have commented on how the recent attacks in Muslim countries failed to trigger an outpouring of sympathy as did similar attacks in Paris or Brussels.
cw/kms (AP, AFP, Reuters)