Iraq has witnessed yet another Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack this week, bringing the total number of such attacks to 48 so far this year, causing 1,441 civilian deaths and injuries.
The attack, which took place in the morning rush hour of May 11th 2016, is said to have killed 64 and injured 87. Some of those injured are thought to be in critical condition.
The car bomb was detonated in a crowded market in the Shia district of Sadr City, northern Baghdad. ISIS quickly claimed responsibility for the bombing.
The attack follows a string of violence over the weekend and an attack on the Shiite neighbourhood of Baquba on Monday, May 9th, which killed at 16 and wounded a further 54.
IEDs have been the weapons used in almost all ISIS attacks in Iraq. Last year, IEDs were responsible for 4,078 civilian deaths and injuries – 80% of the total civilian deaths and injuries in 2015.
Already, in the first three months of 2016, AOAV has recorded 22 IED incidents in Iraq accounting for some 911 civilian deaths and injuries. Of these incidents, 9 were suicide bombings, which alone resulted in a total of 512 civilian deaths and injuries – an average of 57 deaths and injuries per attack.
Attacks on markets are considered particularly lethal for civilian populations. AOAV Explosive Violence Monitor 2015 found that typically, 99% of those killed and injured in explosive violence in markets are civilians.
It is evident that IEDs, especially suicide bombings, are extremely lethal and are seeing wider and wider use. AOAV’s Explosive Violence Monitor 2015 found that of all IED attacks, the ones that posed the most danger were suicide attacks.
AOAV condemns the use of violence against civilians and calls upon all groups to reject the deliberate targeting of civilians. States must urgently address the threat of suicide bombings and other forms of IED attacks. Reports by AOAV show the increasing use and harm of suicide bombings around the world. It is a growing reality that highlights the need for urgent preventative measures that States should establish – such as stockpile controls – to limit groups’ ability to produce these and other IEDs.
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