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Baghdad Update: Death Toll in Baghdad Twin Blasts Rises to 165

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Baghdad updateAccording to INA News Agency, the death toll in Baghdad twin blasts has risen to 165 people.

It has been reported earlier that at least 131 people were killed and hundreds more injured following the explosions. 

The attack, which claimed the lives of many children and injured hundreds of people, occurred early on Sunday in central Baghdad’s majority-Shiite Karrada district, the Al Jazeera news channel reported, citing its own sources.

The early morning attack claimed a large number of casualties as many Iraqi families were on the streets during the last days of the holy month of Ramadan.

The attack was followed by a second explosion. An improvised explosive device went off the also majority-Shiite Shaab area of the Iraqi capital. The blast killed five people and injured 16, according to reports.  

Daesh was recently pushed out of Fallujah by Iraqi forces, but the terrorist group still controls Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, which is located in northern Iraq.    

 

Iraq: 91 killed as 2 blasts rip through Ramadan crowds at Baghdad shopping areas

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baghdad bombingIraqi officials quoted by AP put the death toll from the first attack, in Karrada district, at 86 and said that more than 170 people had been injured.

Interior Ministry spokesman Saad Maan confirmed that the first blast had come from a car bomb.

Eyewitnesses said on Twitter that many shops burned down as a result of the explosions, and there are fears that the number of casualties could grow.

Karrada, an upper middle class district in the Iraqi capital, is mostly inhabited by Shia, but also has quite a large Christian minority. The area becomes very busy after sunset during the holy month of Ramadan.

Shortly after the explosion hit Karrada, eyewitnesses said that a second blast targeted the Shaab neighborhood, which is located in the northern part of the city.

AP said that at least five people were killed in that bombing and another sixteen were injured. Meanwhile, Sky News Arabia said a suspected homemade explosive device was used to hit a market.

Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) has in an online statement claimed responsibility for the attack in Karrada, Baghdad.

The tactics resemble Islamic State’s signature, as the terrorists frequently choose Shia-populated civilian areas in the capital as targets.

Iraqi security officials are attempting to restore order amid the state of panic that has ensued following the attacks, Altaf Ahmad, a local journalist, told RT.

“Major roads leading to the venue of the explosion [in Karrada] have been cut off. We know that the car bomb that went off in the area that is known to be crowded at this time. After sunset, after the break of fast during the holy month of Ramadan many people start to go out… We are expecting that the number could rise to 100 casualties,” Ahmad said.

 

Baghdad: 26 killed in suicide bomb attack in football field south of Iraq’s

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BAGHDAD, March 25 (Xinhua) — Up to 26 people were killed and 90 others wounded on Friday in a suicide bomb attack at a football field in a town south of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, a local police source said.

“The latest reports said that 26 people were killed in the suicide bombing,” the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The attack occurred in the evening when a suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest among a crowd of people during a football game at the pitch in the town of Iskandriyah, some 50 km south of Baghdad, the source said.

The mayor of the town, Ahmed al-Khafaji, was among the killed and Hassoun Hussein, the local leader of the Shiite militia Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, was among the wounded, the source said.

Iskandriyah is part of the once restive area, dubbed Triangle of Death, which is a cluster of towns scattered north of Babil’s provincial capital city of Hilla, some 100 km south of Baghdad.

Earlier, an UN Assistance Mission for Iraq report estimated 7,515 were killed and 14,855 injured in the armed conflicts in Iraq last year.

Thousands Protest in Baghdad Against Terrorist State of Turkey Deployment of Turkish Troops to Iraq

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1031655818Thousands of protesters, including  members of Iraq’s Shiite paramilitary forces, gathered in downtown Baghdad on Saturday demanding the pullout of Turkish troops from the country, local TV Alsumaria reported.

Turkey sent troops and tanks to a base in northern Iraq last week  setting off an angry diplomatic row with Baghdad.

Ankara insists it deployed forces near Mosul to protect military instructors working with Iraqi soldiers at the base, but Baghdad demands their immediate withdrawal and brought the matter before the UN Security Council.

Saturday’s protest rally in Baghdad was initiated by paramilitary groups of the Hashad al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization Forces, dominated by Iran-backed Shiite militias.

“As the leader of a military brigade, I am not fully satisfied with the government’s action, and we are here to say that Iraq’s patience has run out,” Ali Rubaie, the commander of a unit  stationed west of Baghdad, told AFP on Saturday.

The demonstration was mostly attended by young men in military uniforms and was well organized, with large processions converging on Tahrir Square in central Baghdad.

Iraq: demonstrators in central Baghdad against the entry of Turkish troops

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By Abdelhak Mamoun –

(IraqiNews.com) Baghdad – On Tuesday,  people demonstrated in front of the Turkish embassy building in central Baghdad to protest against the entry of Turkish troops into Iraqi territory, demanding the withdrawal of these forces “immediately.”

The reporter of IraqiNews.com said that, people demonstrated, today, in front of the Turkish embassy building in central Baghdad to protest against the entry of Turkish troops to Iraq.”

The reporter added that the demonstrators carried banners denouncing this intervention and demanding the withdrawal of the troops “immediately.”

Noteworth the office of the Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced on Saturday (5 December 2015) that a Turkish armored regiment with a number of tanks had entered Iraqi territory, specifically in the province of Nineveh.

Iraq, Baghdad Provincial Council to vote on boycotting Turkish products

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Representational-file-photo6By Abdelhak Mamoun –

(IraqiNews.com) Baghdad – Baghdad Provincial Council has voted on Tuesday on boycotting the Turkish products and any contract or agreement with Turkish companies.

Member of Baghdad Provincial Council Saad al-Matlabi said in an interview for IraqiNews.com: “The Council voted today on boycotting the Turkish products,” adding that “The council also called the executive arm of the council to prevent any agreement with any Turkish companies.”

 

Breaking News: Baghdad: Turkish troops must leave northern Iraq within 48 hours

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New-Breaking-News-gagrule-2

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Baghdad has given Turkish troops 48 hours to leave Iraq, following a late night meeting Sunday by Iraq’s National Security Council.

“Turkey’s forces have entered Iraq without our consent and the Iraqi government has not been informed. We consider the act as a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and disrespecting a neighbor,” said the statement, following the meeting presided by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

“Baghdad has all right to use all means against Turkey including contacting the (UN) Security Council if Turkish forces do not leave the land in 48 hours,” it warned.

Turkish army sources said Saturday they had been training Peshmerga forces in four provinces in northern Iraq to combat Daesh, as the government said it was sending in 150 fresh troops.

The deployment was first announced by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Saturday.

According to Turkey’s official Anadolu Agency, the first Turkish troops were sent to the region more than two years ago, aimed to train the Kurdish forces.

source: Rudaw

Armenian Genocide centennial commemorated in Baghdad

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201431In commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, Baghdad hosted Thursday, November 26, a performance in Arabic, titled “The Armenian Genocide before the court.”

Based on the play “Stand up the court is coming” by Perch Zeytuntsyan, the event was organized by Homenetmen (Armenian General Athletic Union and Scouts) and the Armenian Mixed Youth Association, Armenian Foreign Ministry’s press office reports.

Armenia’s ambassador to Iraq Karen Grigoryan, representatives of political and public circles, clergy members attended the event, covered by local media outlets.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres, and deportations involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, the Italian Chamber of Deputies, majority of U.S. states, parliaments of Greece, Cyprus, Argentina, Belgium and Wales, National Council of Switzerland, Chamber of Commons of Canada, Polish Sejm, Vatican, European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.

Iraqi Prime Minister Opens Baghdad’s ‘Green Zone’ to Civilians

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1028018610Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi announced the heavily-fortified area in central Baghdad known as the Green Zone open to all citizens on Sunday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The so-called Green Zone in the center of the capital is housing government buildings and foreign missions.
“The opening of the Green Zone is part of a reform drive promised to our citizens. The process of reform is moving forward, and we will not back down,” Abadi wrote on Twitter.
The territory was closed to the Iraqi people for security reasons after the invasion of coalition forces led by the United States and the United Kingdom in 2003.
Despite the fortification measures, this area has often been the target of terrorist attacks.

Baghdad says would welcomes Russia strikes in Iraq

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Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (AFP Photo)

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (AFP Photo)

Shortly after Russia launched airstrikes against militants in Syria, Iraq announces that it would also welcome any such military measures by Moscow on its soil. 

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told France 24 television on Thursday that he had been receiving “massive information” from both Syria and Russia on the Daesh Takfiri militant group.

When asked if he had discussed with Russia airstrikes in his country, Abadi said, “Not yet,” adding, “It is a possibility. If we get the offer we will consider it and I would welcome it.”

Meanwhile, senior Russian foreign ministry official Ilya Rogachev said that his country would consider launching the strikes if it gets “such a request from the Iraqi government or a Security Council resolution that depends decisively on the will of the Iraq government.”

In summer 2014, Daesh expanded its militancy from Syria to Iraq by capturing some key urban areas in north and later in the west of the country.

The Iraqi army has managed to push back the group from some northern territories, including from Tikrit, the capital of the Salahuddin province. Military operations are under way to purge the militants from Ramadi and Mosul, two major bastions of Daesh in west and north.

Moscow announced earlier in the day that it has appointed Lieutenant General Sergei Kuralenko to represent Russia at a joint intelligence task force in Baghdad, which also includes Iran and Syria.

Rogachyov also ruled out Russia joining a US-led coalition purportedly targeting Daesh positions in the Iraq.

“Theoretically, it would look nice (to join the US-led coalition) from a political point of view, but I think that we have difficulty understanding the principles on which the coalition is acting,” Rogachyov said, adding, “On the basis that the coalition currently exists, we are unlikely to join.”

Russian defense ministry announced that it had sent more than 50 military aircraft as well as marines, paratroopers and special forces into Syria. It came just one day after it started to pound positions of Daesh across Syria.

Turkey ‘concerned’

Turkey’s foreign minister expressed concerns over Russia’s air strikes in Syria.

“We are very much concerned at reports that yesterday’s air operation by Russia is not targeting Daesh but some opposition positions and civilian casualties have also occurred during these operations,” said Feridun Sinirlioğlu.

He said the Russian attacks will “lead to further escalation and this is the last thing we need in this very tragic and caustic situation in Syria.”

“This will add up to the problems in Syria, not will be helpful or finding solution to this now long overdue suffering of the Syrian people,” said Sinirlioğlu.

Turkey is among countries suspected of supporting the Daesh militants operating inside Syria.

Source: presstv