IS claims responsibility for suicide attack on Baghdad mall

The Islamic State (IS) militant group Monday claimed responsibility for the suicide attack targeting a crowded mall in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, which killed at least seven people, the group said in an online statement. The group said that four of its suicide bombers carried out the attack on a gathering of Shiite crowds at al-Jawhara Mall in Baghdad al-Jadida in eastern Baghdad. Three of the suicide bombers blew up themselves among the Shiites and killed many, while the fourth one detonated his explosive-laden car spearing into a security force which was ordered to secure the scene, said the statement, whose authenticity could not be independently verified. Earlier, both top security officer and a security source said that at least seven people were killed and another 20 were injured as two suicide bombers attacked a crowded shopping mall in eastern the Iraqi capital. Major General Abdul Amir al-Shimary, Commander of Baghdad Operations Command, said that the evening attack was carried out by two suicide bombers who stormed the mall building after a car bomb explosion at the entrance of the shopping center. Al-Shimary said the suicide bombers opened fire as they ran into the mall, however security guards shot one of them, discharging the bomb which then blew him up, while the second assailant was forced to detonate himself, confirming that the attackers could not have taken civilians as hostages since they were killed within the vicinity of the mall entrance. Earlier, an Interior Ministry source had said that the attackers entered the shopping center and held a number of civilians as hostages, leaving at least seven people were killed, whilst 20 others were injured during the attack. Iraqi security forces then cordoned off the scene, deployed themselves out to surround the area, whilst helicopters flew overhead to secure the place, according to the source. The IS group frequently targets areas where crowds gather, including markets, cafes and mosques across Iraq. The security situation in Iraq has drastically deteriorated since June 2014, when bloody clashes broke out between security forces and IS militants. Earlier, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq said in its report that the total casualties in Iraq's armed conflict throughout 2015 were 22,370, with 7,515 killed and 14,855 injured.