An Islamic State car bomb that targeted families eating ice-cream after breaking their Ramadan fast has killed at least 17 people and wounded 32 more in southern Baghdad. The blast outside a popular shop in the Karrada district of the Iraqi capital was followed by another attack, outside an office where people collect their government pensions, which killed 14 and wounded at least 37, according to police.
Isis quickly claimed responsibility for the first attack on early Tuesday morning, which Iraqi officials said appeared to involve remotely detonated explosives inside a parked car. The militant group later also claimed responsibility for the second attack, saying its suicide bombers had targeted gatherings of Shia Muslims.
The death toll of 31 from the two attacks was the highest over a 24-hour period in Baghdad for several months. The courtyard outside the ice-cream shop was a scene of devastation. Footage apparently shot minutes after the blast showed a dazed young girl stepping past the body of a woman, and what appeared to be body parts strewn across tiles covered with blood and grease.
Brett McGurk, the US diplomat coordinating the international coalition fighting against Isis, condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with Iraq.
Isis quickly claimed responsibility for the first attack on early Tuesday morning, which Iraqi officials said appeared to involve remotely detonated explosives inside a parked car. The militant group later also claimed responsibility for the second attack, saying its suicide bombers had targeted gatherings of Shia Muslims.
The death toll of 31 from the two attacks was the highest over a 24-hour period in Baghdad for several months. The courtyard outside the ice-cream shop was a scene of devastation. Footage apparently shot minutes after the blast showed a dazed young girl stepping past the body of a woman, and what appeared to be body parts strewn across tiles covered with blood and grease.
Brett McGurk, the US diplomat coordinating the international coalition fighting against Isis, condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with Iraq.