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| Scores of people killed across Baghdad in three car bomb attacks | Scores of people killed across Baghdad in three car bomb attacks |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| Three car bombs have killed scores of people across Baghdad in one of the Iraqi capital’s deadliest days in months. | Three car bombs have killed scores of people across Baghdad in one of the Iraqi capital’s deadliest days in months. |
| The first explosion ripped through a commercial area in a predominantly Shia neighbourhood of Baghdad, killing at least 63 people and wounding dozens of others in an attack swiftly claimed by Islamic State, the Sunni extremist group. | The first explosion ripped through a commercial area in a predominantly Shia neighbourhood of Baghdad, killing at least 63 people and wounding dozens of others in an attack swiftly claimed by Islamic State, the Sunni extremist group. |
| A pickup truck packed with explosives detonated at rush hour near a beauty salon in a bustling outdoor market in the Sadr City district. Many of the victims were women, including several brides who appeared to be getting ready for their weddings, police and hospital sources told Reuters. | A pickup truck packed with explosives detonated at rush hour near a beauty salon in a bustling outdoor market in the Sadr City district. Many of the victims were women, including several brides who appeared to be getting ready for their weddings, police and hospital sources told Reuters. |
| The bodies of two men, said to be grooms, were found in an adjacent barber shop. Wigs, shoes and children’s toys were scattered on the ground outside. At least two cars were destroyed in the explosion, their parts scattered far from the blast site. | The bodies of two men, said to be grooms, were found in an adjacent barber shop. Wigs, shoes and children’s toys were scattered on the ground outside. At least two cars were destroyed in the explosion, their parts scattered far from the blast site. |
| Isis said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber, but Iraqi officials have denied the group’s claim. | |
| Later in the day, two more bombs targeting civilians went off in separate Baghdad neighbourhoods. One blast hit the entrance to Kadhimiya, a mostly Shia district in the city’s north-west, killing 15 and wounding 33 others. The other went off on a commercial thoroughfare in a predominantly Sunni district of western Baghdad, killing seven and wounding 20. Sources told Reuters the tolls for both attacks were expected to rise. | |
| Related: Mosul: suspicion and hostility cloud fight to recapture Iraqi city from Isis | Related: Mosul: suspicion and hostility cloud fight to recapture Iraqi city from Isis |
| Security has gradually improved in the Iraqi capital, which had been the target of daily bombings, but violence directed against the security forces and Shia civilians is still frequent. | Security has gradually improved in the Iraqi capital, which had been the target of daily bombings, but violence directed against the security forces and Shia civilians is still frequent. |
| The first bombing also showed that Isis was still capable of launching significant attacks across the country despite a number of territorial defeats in the past year. It has recently stepped up assaults inside Baghdad, something officials say is an attempt to distract from the recent battlefield defeats. | The first bombing also showed that Isis was still capable of launching significant attacks across the country despite a number of territorial defeats in the past year. It has recently stepped up assaults inside Baghdad, something officials say is an attempt to distract from the recent battlefield defeats. |
| Ambulances rushed to the scene, where dozens of residents walked through the twisted wreckage of cars and other debris that littered the pavement. | |
| Rescuers stepped through puddles of blood to put out fires and remove victims. Smoke was still rising from several shops hours after the explosion as a bulldozer cleared the burnt-out chassis of the vehicle used in the blast. | Rescuers stepped through puddles of blood to put out fires and remove victims. Smoke was still rising from several shops hours after the explosion as a bulldozer cleared the burnt-out chassis of the vehicle used in the blast. |
| Karim Salih, 45, a grocer, said the pickup truck was parked by a man who quickly disappeared among the crowds of people. | Karim Salih, 45, a grocer, said the pickup truck was parked by a man who quickly disappeared among the crowds of people. |
| “The force of the explosion threw me metres away and I lost consciousness for a few minutes,” Salih said. He was not injured, but two of his workers were wounded. | |
| In its online statement, Isis said it had carried out a suicide attack that targeted a gathering of Shia militiamen. | In its online statement, Isis said it had carried out a suicide attack that targeted a gathering of Shia militiamen. |
| Isis controls significant territory in northern and western Iraq, including the country’s second-largest city, Mosul. Commercial and public places in Shia-dominated areas are among the most frequent targets for its militants seeking to undermine government efforts to maintain security inside the capital. | Isis controls significant territory in northern and western Iraq, including the country’s second-largest city, Mosul. Commercial and public places in Shia-dominated areas are among the most frequent targets for its militants seeking to undermine government efforts to maintain security inside the capital. |
| In February, the group carried out devastating back-to-back market bombings in Sadr City, the stronghold of followers of an influential Shia cleric. That attack killed at least 73 people. | In February, the group carried out devastating back-to-back market bombings in Sadr City, the stronghold of followers of an influential Shia cleric. That attack killed at least 73 people. |
| Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report | Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report |