The death toll from a huge car bomb attack at a used car market in the south of Iraq’s capital has reached 59 with 66 others injured, a police officer and medical sources said Friday.
Authorities initially said the Thursday attack at the auto dealership in the al-Bayaa neighborhood killed at least 55 and wounded more than 60. ISIS claimed credit for the bombing.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.
ISIS, in a statement early Friday, said its militants detonated bombs in a parked car. It did not give further details.
The site of the bombing is an open space used as a second-hand car market where hundreds of private sellers park their vehicles and wait all day to discuss prices with prospective buyers.
The terrorist organization has carried out near-daily attacks in Baghdad despite suffering military setbacks elsewhere in the country, including in the northern city of Mosul, where U.S.-backed Iraqi forces have been waging a major operation since October.
Another four attacks in and around Baghdad on Thursday killed eight people and wounded around 30, authorities said.
The bomb attacks claimed by ISIS are seen as an attempt to distract attention as the militants cede territory along front lines in northern and western Iraq.
Asharq Al-Awsat English
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