At least 20 killed in two car bomb explosions in Baghdad

Two car bomb explosions in central Baghdad on Tuesday left at least 20 dead and 80 injured. Around noon on Tuesday, June 9, an explosion near a government office in the 'Karkh' area resulted in seven deaths and 38 injuries. Hours earlier, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the first car bomb explosion in Baghdad, which left at least 13 dead and 24 injured. This explosion occurred in the early hours of Tuesday. The blast, which took place on the third day of Ramadan, targeted the 'Al-Fuqmah' juice shop, a large complex selling non-alcoholic beverages, juices, and snacks in the busy 'Karrada' area. Iraqi security forces immediately took control of the incident site and surrounding streets. The Islamic State, in a statement on its website 'Amaq', claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that it was aimed at Shia Muslims. This is the second time the Islamic State has targeted the densely populated Shia area of Karrada during Ramadan. Last July, a bomb explosion in the same area resulted in at least 324 casualties, marking the deadliest attack in Iraq since the U.S. invasion in 2003. The Tuesday explosion occurred after Iranian-backed Shia forces, known as the 'Popular Mobilization', pushed Islamic State forces from a border village along the Iraq-Syria border. Reports indicate that Iraqi Shiite militants and the Syrian army are attempting to connect in border areas. Ahmad al-Asadi, a spokesperson for the 'Popular Mobilization' (Hashd al-Shaabi), stated that capturing this border point is 'the first step towards liberating the entire border [of Iraq and Syria]'. Reports suggest that Iraqi Shiite militants and the Syrian army, which is also supported by Iran, aim to connect in the border regions of the two countries. Establishing a connection at the border would also give Bashar al-Assad and his supporting forces an advantage in the Syrian civil war.