10 people were killed and over 20 injured in east Baghdad, on Saturday 29 Oct, when an IED planted underneath a vehicle detonated and caused a nearby gas tanker to explode.
The blast took place in a garage, near a cafe and football stadium where people were playing on Saturday night. Residential buildings around the blast site had their windows and doors blown off, and the smell of gas permeated the air.
The explosion, which was initially reported as an accident, occurred two days after Iraq’s parliament approved a new Cabinet.
In 2022 so far, AOAV has recorded 211 incidents of intentional explosive weapon use in Iraq, which have caused 843 reported civilian casualties (137 killed, 706 injured).
Ground-launched weapons have caused the majority, 59% (496), of reported civilian casualties, while air-launched weapons have caused 23% (198) and IEDs 16% (136).
State actors are the reported perpetrators in the case of 23% (198) of civilian casualties, and non-state actors of 21% (173). More specifically, Turkey is reportedly responsible for 15% (125) of civilian casualties of explosive weapon use in Iraq in 2022, Iran for 8% (71), and Iraq for <1% (2). Unknown non-state actors are the reported perpetrators in the case of 16% (139) of reported civilian casualties in Iraq this year, and ISIS of 4% (34).
In total, since 2010 AOAV has recorded 5,242 incidents of intentional explosive weapon use in Iraq, and 59,198 reported civilian casualties. Civilians account for 76% of the total 77,559 recorded casualties of explosive violence in Iraq in that time.
Since 2010, IEDs have caused the majority, 80% (47,544), of civilian casualties of explosive violence in Iraq. Air-launched weapons have caused 10% (6,031), and ground-launched weapons 7% (4,075).
The worse affected locations for civilian casualties of explosive violence in Iraq are markets, where 17% (9,989) of civilian casualties have occurred. 10% (6,209) of reported civilian casualties occurred in urban residential areas, 10% (6,116) in commercial areas, 9% (5,610) across multiple urban areas, and 7% (4,401) in entertainment venues. However, the most targeted known locations are roads, which account for 18% (944) of recorded incidents, and urban residential areas, where 12% (617) of recorded incidents occurred.
AOAV’s casualty figures represent the lowest of estimations in terms of the number of people killed and injured by explosive weapon use. In an effort to quantify the explicit harm caused by specific explosive weapons, AOAV solely records incident-specific casualty figures, as reported in English-language media.
AOAV condemns the use of violence against civilians and the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. All actors should stop using explosive weapons with wide-area effects where there is likely to be a high concentration of civilians.
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