July 20, 2021: A suicide bomber has killed at least 35 people and injured dozens at a crowded market in the capital of Iraq, Baghdad, on the eve of Eid al-Adha.

The body parts of the victims were scattered in the previously bustling bazaar, where food was bought by shoppers before the Islamic festival.

More than 60 people were injured, a police source said. The death toll could rise as some of the injured are in critical condition. The dead included women and children, and some shops were set on fire. The Iraqi army said in a statement that the bomber struck shortly after noon in front of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

The Interior Ministryof Iraq said in a statement that “a terrorist attack using a locally made IED (improvised explosive device) was responsible.” Video footage shared on social media after the blast showed bloody victims and people screaming in terror.

In a message sent to its telegram channel, the armed group ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, saying one of its fighters blew up its explosive vest in the crowd.

Iraqi President Barham Saleh called the bombing a “heinous crime” and offered his condolences. “They are targeting our citizens in Sadr City on the eve of Eid. They don’t let people be happy for a moment,” Saleh said in a Twitter message. “Iraq has a sad Eid night,”

International Committee of the Red Cross said. “Our deepest sympathies and sincere condolences to those who lost their loved ones.” This was the third time this year that a bomb had exploded in a densely populated bazaar. In April, a car bomb killed at least four people in the capital. The blast was caused by an explosive device attached to a car parked in the bazaar.

According to a statement from the Iraqi army, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi placed the commander of the Federal Police Regiment responsible for the Bazaar area under arrest. It is also said that an investigation has been launched.

Acts of terrorism and major bombings have decreased in Iraq since defeating ISIS on the battlefield in 2017, following a period when incidents occurred almost daily in Baghdad. However, the attacks still continue at some scale.

A twin suicide bombing in a busy commercial area of central Baghdad in January killed more than 30 people. It was the deadliest bombing in three years to attack the Iraqi capital.

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