ISIS Suicide bombing at Iraqi funeral kills at least 25

[Anthea]

Bas News

Iraqi security forces are on high alert in Baghdad as the capital’s suburb of Abu Ghraib is under military attacks by the Islamic State (IS).

On Saturday overnight, IS insurgents carried out a major offensive on Abu Ghraib in the South-West of Baghdad where the Iraqi security forces repelled the assault.

According to the information obtained by BasNews from Baghdad, there are serious concerns in the Iraqi capital with the security forces amassed in the area.

Muqtada al-Sadr, the leader of Sadrist Movement, had urged its militia group to defend Baghdad if any threat were imposed on the city. He warned the Iraqi officials to protect Baghdad instead of “continuing their thievery corruption.”

Iraqi media also reported that a large number of security forces are now deployed to the Baghdad International Airport to standby for any eventualities.

The commander of the military operations in western Baghdad, Maj. Gen Saad Harbiya, told Associated Press that the situation is “under control” and a local curfew has been imposed.

However, the chaos around the capital city of Iraq is provoking the controversy over Iraqi government’s military capacity to re-take Mosul from IS.

http://basnews.com/index.php/en/news/iraq/261450

[Anthea]

Rudaw

The Iraqi capital Baghdad came under attack from Islamic State (ISIS) on Sunday. Two bomb blasts rocked the Sadr City neighborhood killing 24 and the group's militants also launched a surprise attack against Abu Ghraib 25 kilometers west of Baghdad.

The bombing in Sadr City struck a crowd who had gathered around a mobile phone market killing 24 and wounding 60 others,according to Voice of America News.

The neighborhood has been frequently attacked by such bomb attacks in the past. ISIS claimed responsibility for one devastating truck bombing there last August which killed nearly 80 people.

ISIS likely targeted the neighborhood since it is a Shiite-majority area and from where some of the more prominent Shiite militia groups combating ISIS across Iraq originate.

Gunmen and suicide bombers riding on pickups stormed Abu Ghraib around the same time but were defeated by Iraqi security forces who quickly mobilized to defend the capital.

According to the spokesman for the Iraqi Interior Ministry, Yousef al Abadi, the ISIS attackers managed to kill 30 of the defending Iraqis before they were all killed

The situation, Abadi said, is now "under control."

http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/280220161

[Anthea]

Sky News

At Least 70 Killed By Baghdad Suicide Bombs

At least 70 people have been killed and more than 100 wounded in twin suicide bombings in Baghdad, officials said.

The bombings in a Shi'ite district of the Iraqi capital - Sadr City - were claimed by Islamic State.

Police said two suicide bombers riding motorcycles blew themselves up in a crowded mobile phone market.

A Reuters witness saw pools of blood on the ground with slippers, shoes and mobile phones at the site of the blast.

In a statement circulated online, Islamic State said the bombers had killed and wounded "hundreds of polytheist rejectionists", as the ultra-hardline Sunni group refers to Shi'ite Muslims.

Earlier, IS militants attacked Iraqi security forces on the western outskirts of Baghdad, killing at least 17 people, officials said.

Suicide bombers and gunmen in vehicles and on foot launched the attack on Abu Ghraib at dawn, seizing positions in a grain silo and a cemetery.

Fighting was still raging at the silo site on Sunday evening, security officials said.

Iraqi forces, backed by US-led coalition airstrikes, have driven IS back recently in western Anbar province.

They are also preparing for an offensive to retake the northern city of Mosul.

But the militants are still able to strike in Baghdad and other cities outside their main areas of control.

Baghdad-based security analyst Jasim al-Bahadli said Sunday's attacks suggested it was premature to declare that IS was losing the initiative in Iraq.

"Government forces must do a better job repelling attacks launched by Daesh," he said, using an Arabic acronym for the terror group.

"What happened today could be a setback for the security forces."

http://news.sky.com/story/1650295/at-le ... cide-bombs

[Anthea]

Mail Online - Associated Press

IS Suicide bombing at Iraqi funeral kills at least 25

A suicide bomber struck an Iraqi funeral on Monday, killing at least 25 people, including a local Shiite militia leader, in a town north of Baghdad that saw a wave of revenge attacks after a similar bombing in January.

Another 52 people were wounded in the bombing in Muqdadiyah, about 60 miles (90 kilometers) north of the capital, according to security and hospital officials.

The dead included a local commander in Asaib Ahl al-Haq, a powerful Shiite militia that is part of the state-sanctioned Popular Mobilization Forces, responsible for much of the security in the area.

The Islamic State group bombed a cafe frequented by militiamen in Muqdadiyah in January, killing at least 32 people and triggering a wave of revenge attacks on Sunni mosques and civilians. The New York-based Human Rights Watch blamed the reprisal attacks on powerful militias within the Popular Mobilization Forces.

The Islamic State group also claimed responsibility for Monday's attack according to a statement posted online shortly afterward. On Sunday a double bombing in Baghdad claimed by the IS group killed 73 people.

The initial blast ripped through a crowded market in the Shiite district of Sadr City. A suicide bomber then targeted the crowd that gathered to help the victims. Two police officials said 112 people remain hospitalized. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Sunday's bombings marked the deadliest single attack in the Iraqi capital in months, fueling fears that the IS group is resorting to mass attacks on civilians as it suffers battlefield setbacks.

IS still controls much of northern and western Iraq, but has been driven back in recent months. The government recently declared the western city of Ramadi "fully liberated." IS had captured the city last year.

Link to Full Article and Photos:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/art ... et-73.html