The bombing of Baghdad: ISIS claims responsibility for an explosion on the eve of Eid that killed dozens

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Among the dead and wounded were children and women, according to health and security officials. The explosion took place in the open-air al-Wahilat market in the Shiite-majority Sadr City in eastern Baghdad.

Police officials said a number of shops and stores were also damaged in the blast.

The market, like many other public places, was packed with shoppers preparing to celebrate Eid al-Adha. Videos posted on social media show women carrying their children and screaming as they flee the scene.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility hours after the explosion, and said in a statement that it was carried out by a suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest. The terrorist group has not presented any evidence to support this claim.

The Iraqi army said in a statement on Monday that the explosion was caused by an explosive device. However, two police officers said that they had not yet determined the cause of the explosion, as the investigation was still underway.

Ali Yassin, a Sadr City resident, said he had given up hope that Iraq would be a safe place for his four sons to grow up.

“Not a day goes by in Iraq without a tragic accident,” Yassin told CNN. “Why don’t we live like other countries? Why don’t we enjoy peace like the rest of the world?”

“If I am financially able, I will leave Iraq with my family at once,” Yassin added.

Senior Iraqi government officials, including the Iraqi president and prime minister, condemned the “terrorist attack” and pledged to bring the perpetrators to justice.

President Barham Salih said in a statement issued by his office on Monday, “We will not be calm unless we uproot the hateful and cowardly terrorism. It is certain that the will of the Iraqis goes beyond their criminality and their cowardice.”

Colonel Wayne Maroto, military spokesperson for Operation Inherent Resolve, the international coalition to defeat the remnants of the ISIS caliphate, offered his condolences to the families of the victims in a tweet on Monday.

“This horrific attack just before Eid al-Adha is a terrible reminder of the violence Iraqi children continue to face,” said Shema Sen Gupta, UNICEF Representative in Iraq, in a statement on Monday.

“On the eve of Eid al-Adha, as Iraqis mourn this sad moment, UNICEF calls on all actors in Iraq to work together for a safer Iraq where children do not have to live in fear and enjoy their very basic activities and rights,” said Gupta.

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