Iraq bomb >120 dead & childrens' body parts everywhere

[Anthea]

BBC News

Iraq violence: Dozens killed in car bombing

A car bomb has killed at least 80 people at a busy market in an Iraqi town, officials have said.

The attack happened in the predominantly Shia town of Khan Bani Saad, north of the capital Baghdad.

Children were among those dead in the explosion, which came as people celebrated the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The Islamic State (IS) group, which control swathes of the country, has said it was behind the attack.

A statement from the group said one of their members drove three tonnes of explosives into a crowd.

Police major Ahmed al-Tamimi, told Reuters the damage was "devastating".



"Some people were using vegetable boxes to collect body parts of kids' bodies," he said.

Bodies are still being pulled from the wreckage, witnesses say.

The Diyala provincial authorities have declared three days of mourning and cancelled Eid al-Fitr festivities.

IS militants are battling government forces in the north and west of the country.

The group captured parts of Diyala last year, and although it was later driven out it still has a presence there.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-33577817

Full details not known at time of posting but this is particularly nasty

[Anthea]

Reuters

Islamic State claims suicide car bomb that kills more than 100 in Iraq

More than 100 people were killed in a suicide car bombing at a busy market in an Iraqi town on Friday, in one of the deadliest attacks carried out by Islamic State militants since they overran large parts of the country.

The blast brought down several buildings in Khan Bani Saad, about 30 km (20 miles) northeast of Baghdad, crushing to death people who were celebrating the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, police and medics said.

Islamic State, which controls large parts of northern and western Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack in the mixed eastern province of Diyala where Khan Bani Saad is located and said the target was "rejectionists", as the group refers to Shi'ite Muslims.

Angry crowds went on the rampage after the explosion, smashing the windows of cars parked in the street in grief and anger. Body parts were flung onto the roofs of nearby buildings by the force of the blast, police said.

"Some people were using vegetable boxes to collect children's body parts," said police major Ahmed al-Tamimi from the site of the explosion, describing the damage to the market as "devastating".

An officer from the Diyala police command said rescue crews were still retrieving bodies from under the debris so the death toll could rise.

The Diyala provincial government declared three days' mourning and ordered all parks and entertainment places to close for the rest of the Eid al-Fitr holiday to pre-empt any further attacks.

Islamic State said in a statement issued on Twitter that the attack was to avenge the killing of Sunni Muslims in the northern Iraqi town of Hawija, and that the suicide car bomber was carrying around three tonnes of explosives.

Iraqi officials declared victory over Islamic State in Diyala earlier this year after security forces and Shi'ite paramilitaries drove them out of towns and villages there, but the insurgents remain active in the province.

Security forces and militia groups are currently focused on the western province of Anbar, where they have been gearing up for an offensive to retake the mainly Sunni governorate - Iraq's largest.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/ ... 1A20150718

[Londoner]

....and the city was guarded by Shiite militia, I am sure. The question how they managed to drive a heavy goods vehicle, full of explosives, to a crowded market? there is only one answer for that question: Shiite militia let it pass for money.

[Anthea]

....and the city was guarded by Shiite militia, I am sure. The question how they managed to drive a heavy goods vehicle, full of explosives, to a crowded market? there is only one answer for that question: Shiite militia let it pass for money.

This is an excellent question, because I am certain that I read about increased security in and around markets

I would have expected every lorry going into the area to have been thoroughly examined. Sadly, you have probably answered your own question correctly. Someone was paid to let the lorry through

Even in my worst nightmares I doubt I could ever imagine what it looked like as people picked up pieces of children and put them into vegetable boxes