The Islamic State (IS) group claimed on the night of Thursday 21 to Friday 22 January, via its news organ Amaq, the double suicide bombing which left 32 dead and 110 injured earlier in the day in a very frequented from Baghdad.

A first man set off his explosive belt in the midst of vendors and onlookers in the second-hand clothing market in Tayaran Square, the interior ministry said.

While a crowd was forming to try to come to the aid of the victims, a second suicide bomber detonated his explosives, he added.

This modus operandi has already been used in the past by ISIS, which occupied nearly a third of Iraq in 2014 before Baghdad declared that it had won its war against the jihadists at the end of 2017. Since then, jihadist cells have been lurking in the many mountainous and desert areas of the country.

Since the "liberation", however, IS has claimed responsibility for only small-scale attacks, usually carried out at night against military positions in isolated areas far from cities.

Elections under discussion

An attack with exactly the same modus operandi had already mourned this same place, killing 31 people, almost three years ago to the day.

As in 2018, this attack comes as the authorities are discussing the organization of a legislative election, a deadline regularly accompanied by violence in Iraq.

The government had promised the early election of a new parliament for June.

But the authorities are now proposing to postpone it until October, in order to give the Electoral Commission more time to organize the poll. 

However, many politicians say they doubt the holding of an early election - in June as in October - because the sine qua non is a dissolution of Parliament.

However, only deputies can vote their own dissolution and none has given any assurance in this regard.

International convictions

President Barham Saleh denounced on Twitter "malicious attempts to shake the stability of the country", while Prime Minister Moustafa al-Kazimi announced that he had replaced high-ranking officials after the attack.

"Such a despicable act will not weaken Iraq's march towards stability and prosperity", reacted the UN mission in Iraq.

Pope Francis, who is due to visit Iraq from March 5 to 8, said he was "deeply saddened" by this "senseless act of brutality".

The United States, France, the European Union and NATO strongly condemned these attacks and supported Iraq, while Iran considered that the attacks were intended to "disrupt peace and stability "in Iraq.

The attack comes as the United States has reduced its troops in Iraq to 2,500, a drop that "reflects the increased capabilities of the Iraqi military," in the words of Pentagon chief Christopher Miller.

This reduction "does not mean a change in US policy," he said.

"The United States and the coalition forces remain in Iraq to ensure a lasting defeat" of ISIS.

With AFP

The summary of the week

France 24 invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you!

Download the France 24 application

google-play-badge_FR