At least 18 people were killed on Monday (July 19) in the explosion of a homemade device in a market in Sadr City, a huge and deprived Shiite suburb in eastern Baghdad, a senior security official told AFP.
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"
This is a terrorist attack and there are several victims,
" announced the Interior Ministry.
A senior security official said at least 18 people were killed in the blast, which occurred in the Al-Howeilat market.
Among the dead are four children and four women, according to a source at the Interior Ministry.
At least fifteen injured
The attack, which was not immediately claimed, occurred on the eve of the Muslim feast of the Sacrifice.
Videos posted on social media showed scenes of panic in the market, with women and children running away screaming.
Many members of the security forces were dispatched to the scene and the wounded, at least fifteen, were evacuated to hospital.
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An investigation was opened by the operational command of the security forces in Baghdad, and the Ministry of Health indicated that it was mobilizing resources to come to the aid of the victims.
This is the first attack in the Iraqi capital since last January, where 32 people were killed by two suicide bombers in a market in central Baghdad.
The attack was claimed by the jihadist group Islamic State (IS).
In May, four unclaimed attacks attributed to ISIS targeted Iraqi soldiers in towns near the capital, killing 18 people. Sadr City, a popular suburb of Baghdad, is the stronghold of supporters of the turbulent Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr, whose influence is often decisive in Iraqi politics.
