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Suicide blast at Shiite mosque in Baghdad kills two: police sources
BAGHDAD, June 21, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – A suicide explosion at a Shiite mosque
in eastern Baghdad killed two civilians and wounded nine people on Friday,
two Iraqi police officers told AFP.
The blast hit the Imam Mahdi al-Muntadhar mosque in Baladiyat, near the
massive and densely-populated district of Sadr City.
“At least one attacker wearing a belt of explosives tried to enter the
building but was stopped by the guards, and detonated himself outside,” one
officer told AFP.
“Two civilians were killed and nine people were wounded,” the source said.
The second officer confirmed the details and toll for the attack.
At the scene, security forces quickly deployed to cordon off the site, an
AFP photographer at the mosque said. There was no immediate claim of
responsibility.
Iraq has witnessed a rare period of relative calm in recent months after
decades of back-to-back conflict, including years of sectarian violence that
regularly saw dozens killed in explosions in Baghdad.
In 2017, Iraq declared victory against the Islamic State jihadist group,
which had also carried out mass attacks against civilians in the capital.
The improved security situation has led officials to dismantle the
concrete blast walls, barbed wire and checkpoints that had become ubiquitous
in Baghdad.
But occasional hit-and-run attacks have continued.
Last month, at least eight people were killed and 15 wounded in a suicide
bombing at a market in eastern Baghdad.
In November, explosions in several Shiite-majority districts killed six
people, most of them civilians.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1836 hrs