At least 35 people were killed after suicide bomber strikes at Baghdad market Eid shoppers
The device exploded in a market in the northern Sadr City area as families prepared for the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha on Tuesday.It was the deadliest bombing in Baghdad in six months.
The Islamic State group (IS) claimed it was behind the blast, saying one of its members detonated an explosive vest.The Iraqi government declared victory in its war against the Sunni Muslim jihadist group at the end of 2017.
However, sleeper cells continue to wage a low-level insurgency in the country.IS said it was behind a car bomb blast in April that killed four people at another market in Sadr City, which is predominantly Shia Muslim.
It also claimed a twin suicide bombing attack in January in Tayaran Square that left 32 people dead. That was the deadliest bombing in the capital in three years.
Security sources told Reuters news agency that women and children were among those killed in Monday's attack on the al-Wuhailat market. Some shops were set on fire, they said.
An Iraqi military spokesman said Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi had ordered the arrest of the commander of the federal police regiment in charge of security in the market area and that an investigation had begun.
A military statement said he had the commander of the federal police regiment responsible for the area placed under arrest.
The regularity of bombings in Baghdad has slowed since Islamic State was defeated in 2017, but there have still been a number of attacks this year.
In January, more than 30 people were killed in a twin suicide bombing in the crowded Tayaran Square market, and in April, a car bomb at a market in Sadr City killed four people and injured 20.In June, 15 people were injured after a bomb was placed under a kiosk at another Sadr City market.
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