Iraq violence: IS bombing kills at least 79 in Baghdad

Image copyrightREUTERSImage captionMany of the dead were children, it is reported

At least 79 people have been killed and 131 injured in an explosion claimed by the Islamic State group in Baghdad, Iraqi police say.


A car bomb exploded near a restaurant and shopping area in the central district of Karrada late on Saturday.

The street was busy with shoppers after sundown in the holy month of Ramadan, which ends this week.


A second bomb exploded later in a predominantly Shia area north of the capital, killing another five people.

The bombings, among the deadliest in Iraq this year, come a week after Iraqi security forces recaptured the city of Falluja from Islamic State (IS) militants.


Authorities say the city was used as a launching pad for attacks on Baghdad by IS.Image copyrightAFP/GETTY IMAGESImage captionAmong the worst-damaged buildings was the popular al-Hadi CentreImage copyrightAPImage captionA huge fire raged in the Karrada neighbourhood of Baghdad for several hours after the blast

The jihadist group on Saturday claimed responsibility for the car bomb in Karrada in a statement distributed online by supporters of the hardline Sunni group.

There are reports the source of the blast was a refrigerator van packed with explosives.

Many of those killed in the attack, close to midnight, were children, Associated Press reported.

It caused a huge fire on the main street. Several buildings were badly damaged and were still on fire early on Sunday.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi visited the scene in the morning, and was met by angry crowds.

Video posted online appeared to show a convoy, reported to be Mr Abadi's, being pelted with stones.

IS still controls large swathes of territory in the country's north and west, including Mosul, Iraq's second largest city.

But the group has been under pressure in Iraq and in neighbouring Syria, where it has been targeted by government forces and US-backed rebels.
Analysis: Ahmed Maher, BBC News, BaghdadImage copyrightREUTERS

This latest deadly attack took place in the central Karrada district before dawn, when Iraqis, like many Muslims in the Arab world, gather in large numbers in juice bars and cafes to have their meal before they start another day's fasting in the holy month of Ramadan.

Angry residents chased the convoy of the Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi with stones and bricks when he tried to visit the scene of the carnage few hours after the explosion.

The also vented their anger online. Hackers broke into the website of the Interior Ministry and placed a gruesome picture of a killed child and a drawing of a fake bomb detector, one of the useless devices that are still in use in Baghdad at checkpoints, through which car bombs and suicide bombers pass.

Islamic State group: The full story

Deadly IS attacks in 2016Image copyrightAP

9 June 2016: At least 30 people killed in and around Baghdad in two suicide attacks claimed by IS

17 May 2016: Four bomb blasts kill 69 people in Baghdad; three of the targets were Shia areas

11 May 2016: Car bombs in Baghdad kill 93 people, including 64 in market in Shia district of Sadr City

1 May 2016: Two car bombs kill at least 33 people in southern city of Samawa

26 March 2016: Suicide attack targets football match in central city of Iskandariya, killing at least 32

6 March 2016: Fuel tanker blown up at checkpoint near central city of Hilla, killing 47

28 February 2016: Twin suicide bomb attacks hit market in Sadr City, killing 70