Car bomb detonates in al-Bayaa region
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) A booby-trapped car blast left a yet indefinite number of casualties in western Baghdad on Tuesday, reports said in breaking news quoting the Interior Ministry.
The blast rocked a so-called Senai (industrial) neighborhood in al-Bayaa region west of Baghdad, the ministry’s Baghdad Operations was quoted as saying in a statement.
No exact count of casualties has been given yet.
Violence surged in Iraq with the emergence of Islamic State militants who took over large areas of the country in 2014. Baghdad has been witnessing almost daily bombings targeting civilians and security personnel.
Nobody has claimed responsibility yet for the bombing, but IS militants have said they had been responsible for several bloody explosions and attacks that hit the capital in the past months, bringing the governorate municipal and security officials under critics’ fire.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said violence in the country left nearly 382 dead, including security members, and 908 injured during January. Baghdad was the most affected province with 128 deaths and 444 injuries, according to the organization.
Observers believe Islamic State have begun to escalate attacks outside the city of Mosul, where the group has been losing ground and personnel since October, so as to relieve pressure by government forces on that front and to divert attention from group losses.
While losing Mosul could be the severest blow to the group’s existence in Iraq, some observers argue that attacks outside the province prove that the extremist group can still pose a security threat for all cities.
Security forces detain 3 in Tarmiyah District
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The Ministry of Defense’s War Media Cell announced on Tuesday, that security forces arrested three terrorists, who were planning to attack civilians and security units in Tarmiyah District, in northern Baghdad.
The Cell said in a press statement, “Military intelligence Directorate arrested three terrorists,” pointing out that, “These terrorists were planning to attack innocent civilians and security units in Tarmiyah District, in northern the capital, Baghdad.”
Earlier today, Baghdad Operations Command announced that a terrorist attack hit al-Baya’ area, southwest of Baghdad.