Over 20 killed in Baghdad bombings

Baghdad

A suicide bombing in a marketplace in the northern district of al-Shaab killed 17 people and wounded 28, while a car bomb in the southern neighbourhood of al-Rasheed left six dead and another 21 wounded, the sources said. Interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan said it was carried out by a female suicide bomber, while a police colonel said a roadside bombing was followed by the suicide attack.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but Islamic State has claimed bombings in and around the capital last week that killed 100 people and sparked popular anger against the government for failing to ensure security.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said a political crisis sparked by his attempt to reshuffle the cabinet in an anti-corruption bid was hampering the fight against Islamic State and creating space for more insurgent attacks on the civilian population.

Security has improved some what in the capital in recent years, even as Islamic State fighters seized swathes of the country almost to the outskirts  of Baghdad’s ramparts. But the prospect that the capital could return to the days when suicide bombings killed scores of people every week adds to pressure on Abadi to resolve the political crisis.

Attacks in Baghdad decreased following a June 2014 offensive by IS that saw the group’s fighters focus on holding territory and fighting battles in other areas. But Iraqi forces have regained significant ground from IS, and the frequency of attacks in the capital has increased in recent weeks.