ISIS Claims Baghdad Bombing That Killed Over A Dozen At Ice Cream Shop In Iraq Capital

A car bomb exploded near a popular ice cream shop in Baghdad, Iraq, early Tuesday, killing at least 13 people and leaving more than 24 injured, according to estimates by unnamed police officials, the Associated Press reported. However, an officer from the Baghdad Police Directorate, speaking anonymously to NBC News, said the number of injured had risen to at least 47.

The explosives were said to have been placed in a parked car near the crowded ice cream shop in Karrada district in central Baghdad when they were triggered.

Videos of the blast posted on social media showed chaotic scenes on the streets surrounding the shop. Some of the injured lay on the ground while others braced themselves and rushed towards the colorful park benches outside the ice cream shop. According to the Associated Press, a young girl wearing a ribbon and bow in her hair was spotted wandering aimlessly at the scene of the incident. Surveillance footage of the blast showed the huge explosion on a tree-lined street cramped with cars.

Hours after the explosion, the Islamic State (IS) group, on their website, Amaq, claimed responsibility for the attack. ISIS specified that the suicide bomber in the car targeted a “gathering of Shia.” The terror group has carried out a number of attacks against the Shia Muslim majority in Iraq as they consider them to be heretics.

The attack comes just days after the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan during which Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. This is the time when Baghdad’s restaurants and cafes are full of people during the night after people break their day-long fast.

Brett McGurk, the envoy to the U.S.-led anti-Daesh (ISIS is also called Daesh) Coalition, condemned the attack and expressed his condolences for victims. “[Daesh] terrorists tonight in Baghdad target children and families enjoying time together at an ice cream shop. We stand w/Iraq against this evil,” McGurk said, Gulf News reported.

Over 50 people have been killed by car and roadside bombs across Baghdad this year. On Sunday, May 28, four security officers were killed when a suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest at a security checkpoint in the northeast of Baghdad. On May 26, two more attacks left 25 injured and killed at least 19 including security forces in southern Baghdad. Police authorities told Aljazeera that a suicide car bomber detonated explosives at the entrance of a checkpoint while another blew himself up at a nearby police station just 100 meters away from the previous blast spot. ISIS claimed onus for both the attacks.

Read: War Against ISIS: US Troops In Iraq Should Stay After Islamic State Is Defeated, Mattis Says

Ramadan has often been marked by violence in Iraq. One of the deadliest blasts took place in July 2016 when a huge truck bomb attack killed hundreds at a popular retail district in the city, where people along with their families were shopping ahead of the holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. ISIS had claimed responsibility for the incident that led to the resignation of Iraq's then interior minister, Muhammad Ghabban.

After Tuesday’s attack, Lukman Faily, former Iraqi ambassador to the U.S., tweeted: “This district has paid more than its fair share of tragedy.”