| May 2016 Baghdad bombings | |
|---|---|
| Part of theIraqi Civil War (2014–2017) andPersecution of Shias by the Islamic State | |
| Location | Baghdad,Iraq |
| Date | 11–17 May 2016 |
| Target | Shiites |
Attack type | Truck bombing,suicide bombing |
| Deaths | 103–110+ (11 May)[1] 101+ (17 May) Total: 204–211+ killed |
| Injured | 165+ (11 May)[2] 194+ (17 May) Total: 359+ injured |
| Perpetrator |  Islamic State |
| Motive | Anti-Shiism |
In May 2016, theIslamic State conducted a series of bombing attacks in and aroundShia neighbourhoods inBaghdad, the capital ofIraq, killing and wounding hundreds. According to IS, attacks were aimed at Shia fighters.[1]
Iraqi Shia militias were fighting alongside the Iraqi army against theIslamic State (IS).[1] The area of Sadr City saw repeated attacks targeting itsShia population. In February 2016, a pair of IS bombings in Sadr City killed 52 people.[1] The market bombed on 11 May is one of the main four outdoor shopping venues in Sadr City.[3]
On 11 May 2016, atruck bombing, exploded in a crowded outdoor market in the eastern part ofSadr City, killing mostly women and children.[1] Later in the day, a suicide attack occurred in the ShiiteKadhimiya neighborhood, killing 18 and wounding 43.[4] In the Jamea district in western Baghdad, another car bomb went off in the afternoon, killing at least 13 people.[5] At least seven people were killed and twenty others were wounded in the car bomb explosion that took place in al-Rabie’ street in western Baghdad.[6]
According to an eyewitness, the bomb in Sadr City was placed in apickup truck loaded with fruit and vegetables.[7] The truck had parked and then its driver quickly disappeared among the crowd, according to an eyewitness[7] who also noted that the explosion jolted the ground.[3] The responsibility for the attack was claimed by IS, which released a related statement on social media saying it intended to target Shiite fighters.[1] Iraqi officials denied IS's claim that the attack was carried out by asuicide bomber.[3]
There were also many attacks outside of Baghdad of the same day, some attributed to IS. Five mortar shells fell near residential houses in the vicinity nearBaqubah, resulting in the death of two civilians and wounding three others.[8] An explosive device that was emplaced on the roadside near Baqubah went off while a taxi was passing in the area, resulting in the injury of two persons that were inside it.[9] Five young civilians volunteered to shoot five Iraqi soldiers, accused of apostasy, in their heads for IS.[10]
A suicide bombing in the all-Shia northern district ofSha'ab killed 41 people and wounded more than 70. Acar bomb in the all-Shia neighborhoodSadr City left at least 30 dead and 57 wounded. Another car bomb in the majority-Shia suburb al-Rashid, south of the capital, killed six and wounded 21.[11] A parked car bomb struck a market in the neighborhood ofDora, in southernBaghdad, killing eight people and wounding 22 others. A suicide bomber targeted a restaurant in the Habibiya neighborhood, killing nine and wounding 18.[12] A bomb blast killed one person and wounded another in al-Rashid, south of Baghdad.[13] A bomb exploded near a popular market in the all-Shia neighborhood al-Amin in easternBaghdad, killing two people and wounding seven others.[14]