Bombing Hits Crowded Market in Iraq’s Sadr City, Killing at Least 35

Shoppers were buying food ahead of Eid al-Adha festival

A major suicide bombing tore through a crowded food market in Sadr City Monday, killing at least 35 people and wounding dozens of others. Police said more than 60 were wounded, and that the death toll could ultimately rise substantially.

ISIS claimed credit for the attack. Shoppers were buying food for the upcoming Eid al-Adha festival. Attacks ahead of this Eid are extremely common in Iraq, and usually target Shi’ite neighborhoods.

Iraq’s President Salih condemned the attack as a heinous crime, and Prime Minister Kadhimi placed the police commander for the area under arrest as part of launching the investigation into the attack.

This is the largest single attack in months in metro Baghdad. Shopkeepers are trying to salvage what merchandise they can, but the size of the blast destroyed many shops and left the market an awful mess.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.