Baghdad suicide bomb

This item appears on page 20 of the September 2016 issue.

In Baghdad, Iraq, on July 5, a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb in a crowded marketplace in the central Karrada district, killing at least 281 people and injuring more than 200. It was the deadliest single bombing in Iraq since 2003. The attack took place on the night of Eid al-Fitr, the first day after the holy month of Ramadan (June 6-July 5 in 2016), celebrated by Muslims.

The militant Islamist group Daesh (ISIL) took credit for the attack. Shortly before the bombing, Iraqi forces retook the city of Fallujah, which, in January 2014, was the first city in Iraq to be taken by Daesh.