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WORLD NEWSMonday 4 July 2016
Deadliest attack in a year kills 115 in central BaghdadÂ
SUSANNAH GEORGE Iraqi forces, supported by
U.S.-led coalition airstrikes,
SINAN SALAHEDDIN have secured a string of
victories against IS over the
Associated Press past year and a half, retak-
ing the cities of Tikrit, Rama-
BAGHDAD (AP) — A devas- di and Fallujah, which was
declared fully liberated
tating truck bombing on a from the extremist group
just over a week ago.
bustling commercial street But IS has repeatedly dem-
onstrated the ability to car-
in downtown Baghdad ry out large-scale opera-
tions in territory removed
killed 115 people early Sun- from the front-line fighting.
Iraqi officials have repeat-
day, brutally underscoring edly linked the operation to
retake Fallujah to improv-
the Islamic State group’s ing security in and around
Baghdad, citing the large
ability to strike the capital numbers of bomb factories
uncovered in Fallujah, less
despite a string of battle- than an hour drive west of
the capital. However, with-
field losses elsewhere in the in Baghdad, security forces
that screen for explosives
country. It was the deadli- at the ubiquitous check-
points in and around the
est terror attack in Iraq in a city often rely on electronic
wands that have been re-
year and one of the worst peatedly discredited. And
security across the capital
single bombings in more is fragmented. Baghdad
is handled by an array of
than a decade of war and armed groups that are al-
lied with the government
insurgency, and it fueled but also loyal to political
parties or militias and often
anger toward Prime Minis- do not coordinate or share
information.q
ter Haider al-Abadi.
When al-Abadi visited the
site of the suicide blast in Iraqi security forces and civilians gather at the site after a car bomb at a commercial area in
Karada neighborhood, Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, July 3, 2016. Bombs went off early Sunday in two
the city’s Karada district, a crowded commercial areas in Baghdad.
furious mob surrounded his (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
convoy, yelling expletives,
hurling rocks and shoes
and calling him a “thief.†and cafes. The blast struck ping and amusement mall. A second bombing early
during the holy month of Dozens burned to death Sunday on another busy
Many Iraqis blame their po- Ramadan, with the streets or suffocated, a police of- commercial street in a Shi-
and sidewalks filled with ficer said. IS swiftly claimed ite-dominated neighbor-
litical leadership for lapses young people and families responsibility in a statement hood, this one in east Bagh-
after they had broken their posted online, saying the dad, killed five people and
in security in Baghdad daylight fast. organization had targeted wounded 16, authorities
Eleven people were miss- Shiites. The Associated Press said. There was no immedi-
that have allowed large ing and 187 were wound- could not verify the authen- ate claim of responsibility.
ed, authorities said. Many ticity of the statement, but Hospital and police officials
amounts of explosives to of the victims were women it was posted on a militant provided the death tolls
and children who were website commonly used by and spoke on condition of
make their way past mul- inside a multi-story shop- the extremists. anonymity.
tiple checkpoints and into
neighborhoods packed
with civilians. Karada, a
mostly Shiite section, is
lined with clothing and
jewelry stores, restaurants
IS repels US-backed forces advancing on Syria bastionÂ
BEIRUT (AP) — The Islamic by U.S. special forces that weeks. Heavy clashes were voy came under fire while Eastern Ghouta.
State group on Sunday re- also includes Arab fighters. taking place inside. on its way back from a mis- Also Sunday, Syrian Presi-
pelled an advance by U.S.- In a statement carried by The Syrian Observatory for sion to deliver humanitarian dent Bashar Assad issued
backed forces on one of its the IS-run Aamaq news Human Rights also reported aid to a rebel-held suburb a presidential decree form-
main bastions in northern agency, the IS counteroffensive. of the Syrian capital, and ing a new government
Syria, seizing back territory the group said a fighter that one of its staffers was following parliament elec-
it had previously lost, Syrian driving a car packed with The Britain-based group, “hit.†In a statement issued tions held in April.
activists and the extremist explosives struck a gather- which relies on a network Sunday, it said one of the Foreign Minister Walid al-
group said. ing of Kurds amid clashes of activists on the ground, cars in the convoy was shot Moallem, Interior Minister
The group said its fighters in- in the northwestern part of reported heavy clashes at, adding that the car was Ibrahim al-Shaar and De-
filtrated villages and moun- Manbij. accompanied by U.S.-led clearly marked. fense Minister Fahd Jas-
tains near the IS-held town Manbij, which lies on a key airstrikes and a series of The convoy delivered aid sem al-Freij kept their posts.
of Manbij that were seized supply line from Turkey to explosions that shook the Saturday to the besieged Adib Mayalleh, the former
last month by the Syrian the group’s de facto capi- town, which it attributed to areas of Zamalka, Erbeen central bank governor, was
Democratic Forces, a Kurd- tal of Raqqa, has been IS suicide operations. and west Harasta in the named minister of econo-
ish-dominated group aided encircled by the SDF for Meanwhile, the Syrian Arab eastern suburb known as my and foreign trade.q
Red Crescent said its con-
