Dozens Killed and Wounded in Baghdad Suicide Attacks

According to reports from Iraq, following two explosions in a busy shopping center and a predominantly Shia neighborhood in Baghdad, on the morning of Sunday, July 4, "dozens" were killed and injured. The Associated Press reports at least 83 dead and 176 injured from these explosions. The group known as the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the blasts through messages on social media. Reuters states that a suicide attack occurred in the "Karada" market near a restaurant, using a car bomb. A video circulated on social media shows a large explosion in one of the streets of this area. It is said that the residents of Karada are mainly from the middle and relatively affluent classes of Iraqi society. During Ramadan, Iraqis spend longer hours outside their homes at night for meals and socializing. The second explosion occurred in the Al-Shaab area, which is predominantly Shia and located north of Baghdad. A group of citizens were also killed and injured in this attack, with the exact number still unclear. France Press, citing the security group "SITE," reports that the Islamic State claimed that in the suicide attack on "Shia", "40 were killed and 80 were injured". However, this claim by the extremist group has not yet been confirmed by any official sources. In 2014, at the onset of the Islamic State's advances in Iraq and Syria, many areas in the north and west of Baghdad were targeted by this group's suicide attacks and bombings. The United Nations considers the Islamic State (ISIS) a terrorist group that is not included in the Syrian ceasefire alongside the "Al-Nusra Front". Recently, ISIS has been subjected to severe attacks in Iraq. Iraqi security forces have retaken the city of Fallujah, near Baghdad, from ISIS forces and are preparing to attack Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq and a main stronghold of extremists in the country.