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Iraq's prime minister says victory over terrorists close

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (clad in navy blue coat) is seen during a visit to the blast site in Baghdad’s Shia neighborhood of Karrada, July 3, 2016.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi vowed Sunday that his administration will punish the perpetrators of the twin bombings in the capital, Baghdad, saying that victory over Takfiri terrorists is close.

During the early hours of Sunday, a bomb planted on a truck went off at a busy commercial street in the Shia neighborhood of Karradah, leaving at least 125 people dead and at least 147 others wounded.

The Karradah blast was followed by a second attack that was carried out at an outdoor market in the Shaab neighborhood in southeastern Baghdad, killing one person and injuring five more.

In a message posted on Twitter, the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group claimed responsibility for the bombings.

The Iraqi premier, who visited the site of the blast in Karradah, said the Daesh terrorists have desperately resorted to bomb attacks targeting civilians in the wake of their recent heavy defeats at the hands of the Iraqi army and volunteer fighters in the battlefront.

Abadi also declared a three-day national mourning across Iraq, beginning on Sunday, for those died in Daesh bomb attacks.

On June 18, Iraqi forces launched an offensive against Daesh to retake the southern part of Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, and the town of Qayyarah, one day after the forces fully liberated the strategic city of Fallujah. Daesh proclaimed Mosul as its headquarters in Iraq when it overtook the city in 2014.

Iraqis inspect the damage at the site of a car bombing in Baghdad's Karradah neighborhood on July 3, 2016. (AFP)

Meanwhile, Iraqi President Fouad Masum called on the security service to take urgent measures to eliminate the “dormant terrorist cells” in the capital and bring the perpetrators of the Sunday carnage to justice. He said Daesh carried out the bomb attacks “to avenge the defeat” in Fallujah.

Tehran condemns the Baghdad bombings

Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday condemned the bloodshed in Baghdad and offered condolences to the Iraqi government and nation. The ministry also reiterated Iran’s support for Iraq, saying the Islamic Republic will stand by its neighbor “until the complete defeat of terrorists.”

According to new UN figures, acts of terror in Iraq left a total of 662 people dead and 1,457 others injured in June. In Baghdad, which was among the hardest-hit areas, over 230 civilians were killed and more than 740 others were wounded.


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