Advertisement

Islamic State car bombs kill at least 27 in Baghdad

By Mike Bambach and Andrew V. Pestano
An Iraqi police officer mills at the site of bombing at Alfaqma ice cream shop in Karrada district, Baghdad, on Tuesday. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the bombing. Photo by Ali Abbas/EPA
1 of 2 | An Iraqi police officer mills at the site of bombing at Alfaqma ice cream shop in Karrada district, Baghdad, on Tuesday. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the bombing. Photo by Ali Abbas/EPA

May 30 (UPI) -- Iraqi officials said two Islamic State car bombs killed at least 27 people and injured at least 50 others in Baghdad early Tuesday.

The first car bomb exploded outside an ice cream shop in central Baghdad's Karada district, killing at least 15 people and injuring 27 in the "busy Hurriya Square," Iraqi Police Maj. Ali Mohammed said.

Advertisement

The Islamic State, also known as Daesh, ISIS and ISIL, claimed responsibility for the attack through its news agency, Amaq. The Islamic State said militants targeted a gathering of Shiites breaking their daily fast as part of Islam's holy month of Ramadan.

"ISIS terrorists tonight in Baghdad target children & families enjoying time together at an ice cream shop. We stand with Iraq against this evil," Brett McGurk, special U.S. presidential envoy for the international coalition against the Islamic State, said in a statement.

Surveillance footage showed a large explosion on a tree-lined street filled with cars.

"Another terrorist attack on Karada," tweeted Lukman Faily, the former Iraqi ambassador to the United States.

A few hours later, another car bomb detonated during morning rush hour near the government's Public Pension Office near the al-Shahada, or Martyrs', Bridge in the Shawaka district. At least 12 people died and 23 others were injured in the attack also claimed by the Islamic State, an Iraqi police officer said.

Advertisement

Dozens of people have been killed by car and roadside bombs across Baghdad this year. On Sunday, a suicide bomber killed four security officers at a security checkpoint northeast of Baghdad.

Latest Headlines