Twin Suicide Bombings In Baghdad Market Kill And Wound Dozens

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A rare, deadly suicide bomb attack in a busy Baghdadi market killed and wounded dozens of civilians Thursday afternoon. The death toll is expected to rise.

Hadi Mizban/AP

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Hadi Mizban/AP

A rare, deadly suicide bomb attack in a busy Baghdadi market killed and wounded dozens of civilians Thursday afternoon. The death toll is expected to rise.

Hadi Mizban/AP

A twin suicide bombing at a Baghdad market killed at least 26 people and injured 70 Thursday afternoon, an Iraqi interior ministry source tells NPR.

Two suicide bombers detonated their vests when security forces pursued them through the busy Tayaran square market. An interior ministry spokesman tweeted that the second bomber set off his device after people gathered around those dead and wounded from the first bombing.

There was no immediate claim for the bombings, which have become rare in the Iraqi capital since the Islamic State was largely defeated in the country in 2017. The last took place in Jan. 2018, according to The Associated Press.

Although ISIS has been greatly weakened, with the help of Iraq’s international allies, militant groups still conduct operations. Earlier this week, the electricity ministry reported coordinated attacks on power lines, power stations and other infrastructure, causing millions of dollars worth of damage to the already-shaky electricity sector.

The Trump administration reduced troop numbers in Iraq, but about 2,500 U.S. soldiers remain in the country. Incoming Defense Secretary General Lloyd Austin said in his confirmation hearing that he remains concerned about the threat ISIS poses inside Iraq and beyond.

«I support maintaining a small number of U.S. troops to carry out a limited mission focused on advising and assisting Iraqi counter-terrorism forces to deal with the continuing threat from ISIS, he told the Senate Armed Services Committee.