Early on Tuesday, a bomb was detonated in a car by a suicide bomber. The bombing took place outside Al-Faqma Ice Cream store that is a very popular store in Karrada district in central Baghdad.
The suicide bombing claimed the lives of 15 people and wounded nearly 30, officials reported.
Videos of people running helter skelter on the streets were posted on social media. The scene was horrifying for most, the wounded lay on the road, some picked themselves up. The videos circulating on the internet shows a young girl with a ribbon and bow in her hair wandering around the scene in a daze.
It’s saddening that this happens days after the holy month of Ramadan began. This is a time when Muslims fast during the day and break their fast at night. Restaurants in Baghdad fill up with families that have broken their fast and treating themselves to good food.
The Islamic State of Iraq and Levant also known as ISIS, website Amaq, has revealed the attack was targeted at a gathering of Shias.
ISIS has always considered Iraq’s Shia Muslim majority to be nonconformists and carry out attacks on them on a regular basis.
Hayder al-Khoei, a London based Middle East expert reported, “Families were out and the place was crowded.”
He also added, “ISIS wants Iraqis to fear going out and this is to show they are still present and able to strike the heart of the Iraqi Capital, even as they are being defeated on the battlefield.”
U.S. special envoy to the anti ISIS coalition, Brett McGurk tweeted, “ISIS terrorists tonight in Baghdad target children and families enjoying time together at an ice cream shop. We stand with Iraq against this evil.”
