Bomb blast in Baghdad market kills five, injures eight

By Haydar Hadi

BAGHDAD (AA) - At least five people were killed Monday when an explosive device went off in a public shopping area in capital Baghdad, according to local security sources.

The bomb tore through eastern Baghdad’s Jamila vegetable market, killing five people and injuring another eight, according to an Iraqi security source who spoke to Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to media.

Conflict-plagued Iraq’s capital remains the scene of almost daily terrorist attacks. On Sunday, at least five civilians were killed in two separate car-bomb attacks in southern Baghdad.

No group has claimed responsibility for Monday’s market bombing, but security officials typically blame the Daesh terrorist group for such attacks.

After overrunning much of the country in mid-2014, Daesh is now the target of a wide-ranging army campaign aimed at extirpating the group’s presence in Iraq.

Monday’s bombing in Baghdad comes one day after Iraqi forces decisively captured the northern Tal Afar district -- one of Daesh’s last strongholds in northern Iraq -- following a weeklong army campaign.