Karrada Bomb Attack (2016)
The Karrada Bomb Attack occurred on July 3, 2016, when the terrorist group ISIS executed a devastating series of coordinated bombings in Baghdad, Iraq. The most significant attack involved a truck bomb that detonated in a bustling shopping area of Karrada, primarily populated by Shiite Muslims observing the holy month of Ramadan. This catastrophic explosion resulted in the deaths of over 320 individuals, with the total toll from the series of attacks exceeding 340, including many children and police officers. The bombings were seen as a dramatic demonstration of ISIS's continued capability to strike despite suffering territorial losses, including their recent defeat in Fallujah.
In the aftermath, public outrage surged over perceived governmental inadequacies in ensuring security, leading to the resignation of Interior Minister Mohammed Salem al-Ghabban. The attack underscored the complex sectarian tensions in Iraq and highlighted the ongoing security challenges faced by the Iraqi government as it grappled with ISIS's persistent threat. The Karrada bombing remains one of the deadliest single attacks in Baghdad's history, captivating global attention to the civil strife in the region.
Subject Terms
Karrada Bomb Attack (2016)
Date: July 3, 2016
Place: Baghdad, Iraq
Summary
On July 3, 2016, the terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) executed a series of coordinated bombing attacks in and around the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. The first and largest bomb created a massive explosion in the Baghdad district of Karrada that killed over three hundred people. Three smaller bombings happened shortly afterward in and around Baghdad. Public outrage over the lack of security and false promises of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi followed in the wake of the bombings, leading to the resignation of the interior minister Mohammed Salem al-Ghabban.
Key Events
- June 2016—Iraqi forces push ISIS out of Fallujah, about 40 miles from the capital of Baghdad.
- July 3, 2016—ISIS executes a coordinated series of bomb attacks in Baghdad during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The first suicide bomb led to the death of over three hundred people with hundreds more injured. Three more bombs were detonated shortly after the first, with a combined death toll in all four attacks of over 340.
- July 5, 2016—Citing a lack of "coordination among security systems," Iraqi interior minister Mohammed Salem al-Ghabban resigns.
Status
Security experts see the 2016 Baghdad bombings as an effort by ISIS to demonstrate continued strength despite being pushed out of Fallujah. As of late 2016, ISIS still controlled large areas in the north and west of Iraq, including the country’s second-largest city, Mosul. In October, Iraqi forces with US-led air support began an attempt to retake Mosul from ISIS.
In-Depth Overview
Shortly after midnight on July 3, 2016, a truck bomb detonated in a busy shopping area of Karrada, a neighborhood in Baghdad. The attack was executed by the violent Islamic terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a Sunni Muslim group whose goal is to establish a worldwide caliphate through violence and fear. The bombing targeted a mainly Shiite Muslim area where hundreds of people were busy shopping for the holy month of Ramadan, an important Muslim time of introspection and prayer.
At the time of the attack, many Shiites were breaking their daytime Ramadan fast to gather in Karrada when a refrigerator truck filled with explosives drove into a commercial building, the Hadi Center. The initial death toll released by authorities quickly rose, because the explosion caused a fire in the building, which trapped people inside the Hadi Center. The final death toll of the first bombing was about 320 people, with hundreds more injured. At least fifteen children and six policemen were among the dead. Over one hundred bodies were so badly burned that DNA tests needed to be performed to positively identify them and return them to their families. It was said to be the worst bomb attack by one person to ever hit the Iraqi capital. ISIS identified the suicide bomber as Abu Maha al-Iraqi.
Shortly after the first explosion, a second bomb detonated in another predominantly Shiite section north of Baghdad, killing five people. This was followed by two other small bombings in districts west and south of Baghdad, leading to a combined death toll of over 340. ISIS, which had issued a call for its followers to attack during Ramadan, claimed responsibility for the bombings.
Authorities believe that the bomb attacks were in in part a response to the Iraqi recapture in June of the city of Fallujah, which ISIS had controlled since early 2014. The Iraqi government had hailed the successful Fallujah offensive as a sign that the ISIS presence in Iraq was weakening.
Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi visited the scene in Karrada on the afternoon of July 3. He was met with angry crowds, with some people throwing stones at his vehicle detail. The Tuesday after the attacks, July 7, Interior Minister Mohammed Salem al-Ghabban submitted his resignation, citing a lack of "coordination among security systems" as the reason. The public anger over what was seen as a failure of the Iraqi government to protect its civilians continued to mount. Also in the wake of the attack, the government admitted that it has told security personnel at checkpoints to stop using bomb detectors that were well known to be ineffective.
Key Figures
Haider al-Abadi: Iraqi prime minister at the time of the bomb attacks. After the bombings, his administration faced public anger over what was seen as unfulfilled promises of a more secure capital.
Mohammed Salem al-Ghabban: Iraqi interior minister who resigned two days after the bombings.
Bibliography
Chulov, M. (2016, July 3). Isis claims responsibility for Baghdad car bombing as 120 die on single day. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/03/baghdad-bombings-dozens-killed
Death toll in Baghdad bombing rises to 324. (2016, August 1). Al Arabiya. Retrieved from http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2016/08/01/Death-toll-in-Baghdad-bombing-rises-to-324-.html
Hassan, F., et al. (2016, July 3). Bombing kills more than 120 in Baghdad. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/04/world/middleeast/baghdad-bombings.html
Hume, T. (2016, July 5). Iraq’s interior minister resigns in wake of devastating Baghdad truck bombing. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/05/middleeast/iraq-interior-minister-resigns/index.html
Hume, T., & Khadder, K. (2016, July 7). Death toll from devastating ISIS truck bomb in Baghdad rises to nearly 300. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/07/middleeast/iraq-baghdad-bomb-toll-rises/
Iraq violence: IS bombing kills 125 Ramadan shoppers in Baghdad. (2016, July 3). BBC. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-36696568