A pair of suicide bombers targeting a popular market in Baghdad killed at least 32 people and injured 100 more Thursday in the first major terror strike in the Iraqi capital since 2018.
“Authorities said the first suicide bomber detonated his explosives after a crowd gathered around him in the middle of the market as he cried out loudly that he was ill. The second detonated his own belt shortly after,” reports The Hill.
Dozens dead in first major suicide attack in Baghdad since 2018 https://t.co/Dk2FigdL6r pic.twitter.com/WOpMVsSXaQ
— The Hill (@thehill) January 21, 2021
This attack is a reprehensible act of cowardice that underscores the dangers of terrorism that millions of Iraqis continue to face. We extend our condolences to the families of these victims, and hope for the swift recovery for those who were injured. 2/2
— U.S. Embassy Baghdad (@USEmbBaghdad) January 21, 2021
“Iraqi military officials said the attack was the work of the Islamic State, according to the AP, though no one immediately claimed responsibility,” adds the website. “The group has been driven out of the territory it once controlled, but has continued to make strikes against Iraqi forces and officials, particularly in the north of the country.”
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AL QAEDA RETURNS: Terror Leader Calls for ‘NEW JIHAD’ Against US
Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri resurfaced over the weekend after months of hiding and questions over his health; releasing a five-minute video that called for a new “jihad” against the United States and its western allies.
The video, titled “Tel Aviv is Also a Land of Muslims” slammed the Trump administration for its decision to relocate the US embassy to Jerusalem, saying the Americans were “clear and explicit” in their “modern crusade” against Muslims across the world.
“[Americans] are the first enemy of the Muslims, and swore that it will not dream of security until it is lived in reality in Palestine, and until all the armies of disbelief leave the land of Muhammad,” he added.
Zawahiri took control of the global terror network after US forced killed Osama bin Laden in 2011, choosing to avoid the spotlight after the United States shifted its anti-terror efforts to focus on ISIS in Syria and Iraq.
Despite the warnings, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo believes the Mideast peace process is “decidedly not dead,” telling Fox News “We’re hard at work on it. We hope we can achieve a successful outcome there as well.”
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‘HIGH ALERT’: UK Authorities ‘On Alert’ for Copycat Terror Strikes After London Bridge Attack
Law enforcement across the United Kingdom is on high-alert this week; warning residents potential copycat terrorists could launch strikes similar to the knife-attacks at London Bridge that left two people dead.
“An associate of the London Bridge killer was arrested as security agencies scrambled to stamp out the threat of copycat attacks,” reports the Times. “Nazam Hussain, 34, was held in a police raid on his home in Stoke-on-Trent on Saturday on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. Last night he was recalled to prison for a suspected breach of licence conditions.”
“In 2012 Hussain was jailed for terrorism offences alongside Usman Khan, 28, the knifeman who fatally stabbed two people in the capital on Friday afternoon before being shot dead by the police. Six of the nine men who were jailed at that trial had been released and were back on the streets,” adds the newspaper.
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Original Story: November 30, 2019
The man who carried out Friday’s stabbing attack at London Bridge was a former prisoner convicted of terrorism offenses.
The attacker, named by police as 28-year-old Usman Khan, was out of prison on license at the time of the attack, in which a man and a woman were killed and three others were injured.
Khan was shot and killed by officers after members of the public restrained him.
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