Iraqis fleeing the Old City of Mosul arrive to the industrial district of the city on June 23, 2017 as they flee the fighting between Iraqi forces and Islamic State (IS) group jihadists.
A suicide bomber blew himself up among civilians fleeing Mosul’s Old City, where Iraqi forces are gaining ground against jihadists mounting a fierce but desperate defense, officers said. / AFP PHOTO / MOHAMED EL-SHAHED
Suicide bombers attacked an Iraqi shopping district east of Mosul that was retaken from the jihadists months ago, killing at least three people, medical and security officials said Saturday.
The attack struck the Muthanna neighborhood late on Friday as residents shopped ahead of the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
“The first suicide bomber blew himself up as he was being stopped by a policeman, who died on the spot,” a senior police officer said.
A second bomber managed to enter a shopping arcade and blew himself up among civilians, killing at least two and wounding nine, according to the same officer and a medic at Al-Khansaa hospital.
A third suicide bomber was killed by police before he could detonate his vest, the sources said.
The attack was not the first but among the bloodiest since Iraqi forces retook the eastern side of Mosul in January as part of a massive offensive to wrest back the country’s second city from IS.
Residents in areas retaken from the jihadists have warned that sleeper cells remain a threat and that cursory screening has allowed many IS supporters to return to civilian life without facing justice.
There had been growing calls in east Mosul before Friday night’s attack for the families of IS members to be banished for 10 years, among other measures. JPV