Military commander blames ISIS for the carnage, saying the battered group was trying to «prove its existence.»
Twin suicide bombings ripped through a busy market in the Iraqi capital Thursday, killing at least 32 people and wounding more than 100, officials said. The rare suicide attack hit the Bab al-Sharqi commercial area in central Baghdad amid heightened political tensions over planned early elections and a severe economic crisis. Blood smeared the floors of the busy market amid piles of clothes and shoes as survivors took stock of the disarray in the aftermath. No one immediately took responsibility for the attack, but Iraqi military officials said it was the work of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (). Iraq’s Health Ministry said at least 32 people were killed and more than 110 wounded in the attack. Some of the wounded were in serious condition. Several health and police officials said the toll might be higher. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. The Health Ministry announced that all of its hospitals in the capital were mobilized to treat the wounded. Maj. Gen. Tahsin al-Khafaji, spokesman for the Joint Operations Command, which includes an array of Iraqi forces, said the first suicide bomber cried out loudly that he was ill in the middle of the bustling market, prompting a crowd to gather around him — and that’s when he detonated his explosive belt.
