Iran Press/ Middle East: A rare twin suicide bombing killed at least 28 people and wounded 73 others on a bustling commercial street in the heart of Baghdad on Thursday, the military said, rupturing months of relative calm.
Brigadier General Hazem al-Azzawi, the director of Baghdad Operations Command, told the Iraq News Agency (INA) that a 'double explosion' hit a crowded market in the Bab al-Sharji area near Tayaran Square, Al Jazeera reported.
Medical sources told AFP news agency they feared the death toll could rise. The health ministry said it had mobilized medics across the capital to respond to the deadly attack.
Military spokesman Yahya Rasool said two suicide bombers detonated their explosives as they were being pursued by security forces.
Al Jazeera’s Abdelfattah Fayed, reporting from the site of the attack, said defense units have cleaned up the area, washing away the blood and clearing the debris.
“According to the latest statistics, 28 people were killed and 73 injured,” he said, adding: “The injured were rushed to the nearby hospitals. Local reports suggest that the number of fatalities will rise as the large number of those injured are in very critical condition.”
“The area of the bombing is back to normal as if nothing has happened. The movement around the market place is restored. It is busy and the vehicles are moving freely.”
After years of deadly sectarian violence following the 2003 US invasion, suicide bombings have become relatively rare in the capital. The last such attack took place in June 2019 and left several people dead.
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At least 13 killed as twin suicide bombings rock Baghdad
