Iraq: Suicide Attacks Targeting Crowds In Baghdad, Says HRW

Suicide attacks outside an ice cream parlour and a government building in Baghdad on the morning of May 30, 2017, were despicable acts of violence, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday. The attacks killed at least 27 people and wounded at least 50, according to government sources.

In the first attack, a suicide attacker detonated a car bomb outside an ice cream parlour just after midnight in the Karrada district of Baghdad, where many people were on the streets breaking their Ramadan fasts. The Islamic State (also known as ISIS) claimed responsibility for the bombing, which killed at least 15 people and wounded at least 27.

The second attack occurred several hours later in Karkh district, near the headquarters of the government’s pensions directorate, killing at least 12 people and wounding at least 23. No group has taken responsibility for the bombing.

Human Rights Watch expresses its deepest sympathies to all those affected by the May 30 attacks, particularly during this holy month. Iraqi civilians have suffered decades of unlawful violence by armed groups and government, and international forces. Following mass-casualty attacks during 2017 in multiple countries worldwide, it is a stark reminder of the threat posed by individuals driven by hate or by violent or extremist views.

The principles of democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and tolerance remain the strongest bulwarks against the fear, hate, and division that those who commit these attacks seek to sow.