UPDATE - Daesh bombing kills 81 in Iraqi capital

*UPDATES DEATH TOLL

By Ibrahim Salih

BAGHDAD (AA) - At least 81 people were killed early Sunday in a car bomb blast claimed by the Daesh terrorist group in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

The bomb hit al-Karada, a busy shopping district in central Baghdad, at 01:00 a.m. local time (2200GMT), a security source told Anadolu Agency, requesting anonymity due to restrictions on speaking with the media.

The bombing struck as the area was busy with shoppers after breaking their fast for the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.

“At least 81 dead bodies were admitted to the city’s hospitals,” a medical source said on condition of anonymity.

According to the source, some 133 people were also injured in the bombing.

Sunday’s bombing was swiftly claimed by Daesh, which controls significant territory in northern and western Iraq.

In a statement circulated online, the terrorist group said that the bombing targeted Shias. The statement could not be independently verified.

Visiting the bombing site, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi connected the attack to recent Daesh territorial losses.

"The terrorists carried out the bombing in the al-Karada district after being crushed in the battle of Fallujah," he said, vowing to punish the perpetrators and Daesh.

Last week, the Iraqi army said that its forces had recaptured Fallujah from Daesh after more than one-month battle against the terrorist group.

Sunday’s attack came shortly after four people were killed and 22 others injured in three separate attacks in the Iraqi capital.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the bombing in al-Karada, saying: "We condemn this outrageous attack and we wish mercy for those who lost their lives in this attack, hope the wounded recover quickly, and express our condolences to the Iraqi nation."

Iraq has suffered a devastating security vacuum since mid-2014, when Daesh captured Mosul and overran large swathes of territory in the northern and western parts of the country.

According to the UN, more than 3.4 million people are now displaced in Iraq -- more than half of them children -- while more than 10 million are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.

*Ali Abo Rezeg contributed to this report from Ankara