Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 31 May 2017
Series of bombings kill nearly 40 people across Baghdad

By MURTADA FARAJ In the second attack, an
QASSIM ZAHRA explosives-laden car went
Associated Press off during rush hour near
BAGHDAD (AP) — A mas- the state-run Public Pen-
sive bombing by the Is- sion Office in Baghdad’s
lamic State group outside busy Shawaka area, killing
a popular ice cream parlor 14, a police officer said.
in central Baghdad and At least 37 people were
a rush- hour car bomb in wounded in that attack,
another downtown area he added.
killed at least 31 people In separate online state-
Tuesday, Iraqi officials said. ments, IS claimed respon-
Later in the day, bombings sibility for the two attacks,
in and around the Iraqi saying its suicide bombers
capital killed seven more targeted gatherings of Shi-
people. ites. The Associated Press
The attacks come as IS could not verify the au-
militants are steadily los- thenticity of the statements
ing territory to U.S.-backed but they were posted on a
Iraqi forces in the battle for militant website commonly
Mosul, the country’s sec- used by extremists.
ond-largest city. The Sunni Iraqi security forces and civilians inspect the site of a deadly bomb attack, in Baghdad, Iraq, Later Tuesday, seven
extremists are increasingly Monday, May 30, 2017. Another bomb exploded outside a popular ice cream shop in the Karrada people died and 19 were
neighborhood of Baghdad just after midnight on Monday, killing and wounding dozens of civil-
turning to insurgency-style ians, hospital and police officials said. wounded in four separate
terror attacks to distract at- (AP Photo/Karim Kadim) bombings in and around
tention from their losses. Baghdad, officials said. The
The nighttime attack out- A closed-circuit camera down the street when the attack posted on social attacks targeted commer-
side the ice cream parlor in captured the moment of blast strikes. A huge fireball media show wounded and cial areas and a patrol of
the bustling Karrada neigh- the explosion, the video engulfs a building, caus- bloodied people crying for Sunni anti-IS tribal fighters,
borhood killed 17 people showing a busy downtown ing cars to scramble to get help on the sidewalk out- they said. No group imme-
and wounded 32, police avenue with cars driving away. Other videos of the side the ice cream parlor. diately claimed those at-
and health officials said. tacks.
US-backed Syrian fighters reach gates of IS capital of Raqqa

BEIRUT (AP) — U.S.-backed trance of the Syrian city group, amid intense clash- toward the city, getting fighters captured gas
fighters on Tuesday of Raqqa, the de facto es and airstrikes on Raqqa’s closer from all sides. The and water facilities on the
reached the northern en- capital of the Islamic State northern and eastern SDF have captured doz- northern edge of Raqqa.
edges, opposition activists ens of towns and villages The group posted a video
said.The latest push by the since November, when the showing IS black flags still
Kurdish-led Syrian Demo- group began an operation flying over the northern en-
cratic Forces brings them entitled Euphrates Wrath, trance of Raqqa with a gi-
to about 3 kilometers (2 aiming to eventually sur- ant IS banner reading “the
miles) from the city where round and capture Raqqa. northern sector thanks you
a long and deadly battle SDF fighters have surround- for your visit. The Islamic
is expected in the com- ed Raqqa from the north, State.”
ing weeks, said the Britain- west and east. The extrem- The activist-operated
based Syrian Observatory ists still have an exit from Raqqa is Being Slaugh-
for Human Rights. the south, even though the tered Silently said that the
The latest push comes as U.S.-led coalition destroyed U.S.-led coalition targeted
airstrikes have intensified in southern two bridges over areas of fighting north of
recent days. U.S.-backed the Euphrates River. the city near a major IS
fighters have pushed in The Observatory said SDF base known as Division 17.