Suicide bombings in Iraq kill more than 100 people.

(Baonghean.vn) - More than 100 people died in a suicide car bomb attack at a crowded market in an Iraqi city on July 17, in the deadliest attack by the Islamic State (IS).

The explosion caused several buildings to collapse in Khan Bani Saad, 30 kilometers northeast of Baghdad, killing many people who were celebrating the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, police and paramedics said.

ISIS, which controls large areas in northern and western Iraq, claimed responsibility for the attack in the city of Khan Bani Saad, Diyala province in the northeast, and said the target was “opposition,” the group’s term for Shiite Muslims.

Diyala province is located in northeastern Iraq. Photo: Getty Images.

Crowds erupted in outrage after the explosion, smashing the windows of parked cars in the streets in grief and anger. According to police, body parts were scattered across the rooftops of nearby buildings due to the blast.

Police Major Ahmed al-Tamimi, reporting from the scene of the explosion, described the damage to the market as “very heavy”: “Some people used vegetable containers to collect the remains of children.”

An officer from the Diyala police headquarters said rescue teams are still searching for bodies under the rubble, so the death toll could continue to rise.

The Diyala provincial authorities declared three days of mourning and ordered the closure of parks and entertainment venues for the remainder of Eid al-Fitr to prevent further attacks.

ISIS claimed on Twitter that the attack was in retaliation for the killing of Sunni Muslims in the northern Iraqi city of Hawija, and that the car bomb contained approximately 3 tons of explosives.

Iraqi officials declared victory over IS in Diyala earlier this year after security and paramilitary forces drove IS out of cities and villages, but the insurgents remain active in the province.

Security forces and militia groups are now concentrating in the western province of Anbar, seeking to retake the main Sunni nerve center.

The United Nations said earlier this week that nearly 15,000 people had been killed in IS operations in the 16 months leading up to April 30.

Thu Giang

(According to Reuters)