ISIS claims responsibility for Iraq bus bombing that killed 12
September 22, 2019, 10:23 am

ISIS claims responsibility for Iraq bus bombing that killed 12

File photo of Iraqi policemen secure the scene of a road side bomb blast that hit a mini bus carrying Shiite pilgrims in Sadr City, in Baghdad, Iraq. (AP)

ISIS militants have claimed responsibility for a bus bombing that killed 12 people near the Iraqi city of Karbala, the Amaq news agency reported on Saturday.

Iraqi security services said on Friday that 12 people were killed and several others wounded when a bus bombing occurred near the holy city south of Baghdad.

Two police spokesmen in the area said an explosive device planted on the bus detonated at a northern entrance to the city, setting fire to the vehicle.

Meanwhile, Iraqi security forces boosted their presence and measures around the Shiite city of Karbala on Saturday, a day after the deadly bombing outside the city.

Suspect held

Iraq’s prime minister said security forces have detained a man suspected of detonating the bomb.

The blast was one of the biggest attacks targeting civilians since ISIS, a terrorist organization was declared defeated inside Iraq in 2017.

The group’s sleeper cells continue to wage an insurgency and carry out sporadic attacks across the country.

The charred minibus was still on the road near the city on Saturday morning, hours after the blast.

Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi in a statement released by his office on Saturday gave no further details about the suspect.

Parliament Speaker Mohamad al-Halbousi expressed in a statement his frustration with the repeated “failures of intelligence agencies” to prevent such attacks. He added that security plans should be reviewed and intelligence gathering intensified.

On Saturday, security was tight on the roads entering Karbala with added checkpoints searching cars.

The explosion occurred as the bus was passing through an Iraqi army checkpoint, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of Karbala in the direction of the town of al-Hilla.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which took place during a holy period marked by Shiites in Iraq between two important religious events, Ashura and Arbaeen. Arbaeen is the annual commemoration marking the end of the 40-day mourning period for the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, a central figure in Shiite Islam.

Thirty-one pilgrims were killed and about 100 injured 10 days ago as hundreds of thousands of Shiite Muslims marked Ashura, one of the most solemn holy days of the year. It was the deadliest stampede in recent history during Ashura commemorations.

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