At least 15 people were killed and 25 injured in a car bomb explosion in Baghdad. Security officials said, a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle outside an ice cream shop in the Karrada district in central Baghdad last night.
The bomber struck just days after the start of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, during which Iraqis often stay out late shopping or socialising after breaking their daily fast.
The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attack. The Islamic State (IS) group-linked Amaq propaganda agency said the suicide bomber targeted a gathering of Shiites. IS considers members of Iraq’s Shiite Muslim majority to be heretics and frequently carries out attacks against them.
The attack comes as Iraqi troops are pushing IS fighters out of their last strongholds in the northern city of Mosul. Iraqi commanders say the offensive, which recently entered its eight month, will mark the end of the IS caliphate in Iraq, but concede the group will likely increase insurgent attacks in the wake of military defeats.