Two Suicide Attacks in Iraq; At Least 74 People Killed

During two suicide attacks in southern Iraq, at least 74 people were killed and 94 injured, including at least seven Iranian casualties and several injured. According to reports, the attackers, dressed in security forces uniforms and driving stolen vehicles, targeted a police checkpoint and a restaurant on a highway near the city of Nasiriyah. Local sources reported that the attackers used bombs and suicide belts in their assaults. According to the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, armed individuals entered a roadside restaurant named 'Fadak' near Nasiriyah in Dhi Qar province on Thursday, September 14, and opened fire on people inside the restaurant. Simultaneously, a car bomb exploded at a checkpoint near the restaurant. The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for these attacks. The Islamic Republic of Iran's state media reported that Iranian pilgrims at the restaurant were returning from Karbala and intended to cross the Basra land border back to Iran. Foreign news agencies reported varying numbers of Iranian casualties: AFP reported seven, Reuters reported ten, and the German news agency reported fifteen. These attacks occurred just a week before the month of Muharram, when many Iranians travel to Shia holy sites in Iraq, and 40 days later, the Arbaeen ceremony will take place with millions of Shia participants. According to Iranian officials, in previous years, about two million Iranians traveled to Iraq for the Arbaeen ceremony. In recent years, several Iranians have also been killed in explosions in Iraq. On December 5 of last year, during a suicide attack by ISIS on a gas station in Hilla, on the road between Karbala and Baghdad, at least 100 people were killed, including about 40 Iranians. On November 16 of last year, an explosion in Samarra, Iraq, resulted in the deaths of eight Iranians and nearly 100 others injured. ISIS also claimed responsibility for this explosion.