Iraqi people gather at the site of bomb attack in a busy market area in Baghdad's central al-Sinek neighborhood , Iraq, Saturday, Dec 31, 2016. Iraqi people gather at the site of bomb attack in a busy market area in Baghdad's central al-Sinek neighborhood , Iraq, Saturday, Dec 31, 2016.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Greenwich Citizen.</s></s>Two bombs have exploded at a busy market in central Baghdad, killing about 25 people.

BAGHDAD—A pair of suicide bombings minutes apart hit a central Baghdad market on Saturday, killing 28 people and wounding at least 54, prompting security forces to ban traffic from key streets at the centre of the Iraqi capital, police and hospital officials said.

The twin attacks hit al-Sinak, a busy market selling car accessories, food and clothes as well as agricultural seeds and machinery. Minutes after the first suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden belt, the second one struck amid the crowd that gathered, according to the officials.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.

Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL, claimed responsibility for the attacks in al-Sanak in a statement posted by its Aamaq news agency, confirming that the blasts came from a pair of suicide bombers.

Later on Saturday, three separate attacks in and around Baghdad killed eight people and wounded 17. Those killed included one policeman.</s>A pair of bomb blasts targeting a market in central Baghdad has killed at least 28 people and wounded more than 50, according to police and medical officials.

The early-morning bombs exploded beside car parts shops in al-Sinak, a busy market also selling food, clothes, seeds and other machinery.

Police have given mixed reports from the scene, saying initially it was a pair of back-to-back roadside bombs, but Associated Press news agency claims officers have concluded it was the work of two suicide bombers.

“Twin terrorist attacks were carried out by suicide bombers in Al-Sinek neighbourhood,” said an official from the Baghdad operations command.

Civilians were left picking through debris as medics carried offcasualties after what is the deadliest Baghdad attack since the Isis killing of at least 40 people at a Shia festival in October.

Thousands were expected to hit the streets for New Year's Eve celebrations for only a second time since a decade-long curfew was lifted in 2015.

An Agence France-Presse photographer at the scene says torn clothes and mangled iron were strewn across the ground in pools of blood at the site of the weckage near the busy Rasheed street thoroughfare.

“Many of the victims were people from the spare parts shops in the area, they were gathered near a cart selling breakfast when the explosions went off," said nearby shop owner Ibrahim Mohammed Ali, speaking to AFP.

No group has claimed responsibility for the blasts, but Isis has launched near-daily attacks in the capital in recent months.

The militant extremist group claimed responsibility for a bombing that killed 250 people in Baghdad in July, in the worst single terror attack to hit the Iraqi capital since the 2003 war.

Isis has lost huge parcels of territory this year in the north and west and is fighting off a coalition offensive in its last major stronghold in Mosul.

Troops say they are currently launching a three-pronged assault on eastern Mosul, which included US warplanes destroying the last remaining bridge over the Tigris river.</s>A pair of bombings hit a crowded market in Baghdad on Saturday morning. Security officials say the first blast went off at around 8 a.m. local time; as people gathered to help the wounded, a man detonated a suicide vest.

At least 24 people were killed and more than 50 others were wounded in the Iraqi capital. The Associated Press reports that the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack.

"It is a reminder that although ISIS is under pressure from security forces in the city of Mosul, the group still has the capacity to cause havoc. More than two years after they declared a caliphate, ISIS still controls Mosul in Iraq, Raqqa in Syria and recently retook the historic Syrian city of Palmyra."

Although most people in Baghdad are Muslim, Fordham says Christmas and New Year's Eve are still considered a popular part of the holiday season. Many people would have been celebrating on Saturday night.</s>BAGHDAD (AP) – A pair of suicide bombings minutes apart hit a central Baghdad market on Saturday, killing 28 people and wounding at least 54, prompting security forces to ban traffic from key streets at the center of the Iraqi capital, police and hospital officials said.



The twin attacks hit al-Sinak, a busy market selling car accessories, food and clothes as well as agricultural seeds and machinery. Minutes after the first suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden belt, the second one struck amid the crowd that gathered, according to the officials.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks in al-Sanak in a statement posted by its Aamaq news agency, confirming that the blasts came from a pair of suicide bombers.

Later on Saturday, three separate attacks in and around Baghdad killed eight people and wounded 17. Those killed included one policeman.</s>BAGHDAD
• Two bombs exploded in a busy market in central Baghdad yesterday, killing at least 27 people and wounding more than 50, police and medical personnel said.

The area that was the target of the twin bombings was packed with wholesale market stalls and teeming with daily labourers unloading vans and transporting their goods on their carts.

Police said the blasts went off near several car parts shops in the Sinak neighbourhood of Iraq's capital during the morning rush hour.

"Many of the victims were people from the spare parts shops in the area, and they were gathered near a cart selling breakfast food when the explosions went off," said Mr Ibrahim Mohammed Ali, who is the owner of a nearby shop.

One of the blasts was triggered by a suicide bomber, the other was a planted explosive, an Interior Ministry official told Reuters.
• MADRID
• Spanish police found videos at the home of a suspected terrorist detained last week showing armed men in front of an image of a central Madrid square where thousands celebrate New Year's Eve, said judicial sources. The authorities were quick to allay fears, saying there was no indication an attack was in the works, but Spain has strengthened security during the holiday season. Madrid has taken unprecedented measures, including using bollards and police vans on roads near the famous Puerta del Sol square, where Spaniards were to gather yesterday evening, to guard against truck attacks like those that hit Nice and Berlin. Trucks have also been banned this week from parts of the city where people gather to watch traditional parades celebrating the arrival of the wise men after Jesus was born. JERUSALEM
• Israel has issued a warning of imminent "terrorist attacks" on tourists and Western targets in India, telling its citizens to avoid public places during year-end celebrations. The Counter-Terrorism Bureau, in a statement released by the prime minister's office last Friday, raised the alert level and said it corresponded to a "concrete basic threat". "We are warning Israeli tourists in India of the possibility of imminent terrorist attacks against Western targets and tourists, particularly in the south-west of that country," it said. It also called on tourists to be "extremely vigilant during the New Year".

Torn clothing and mangled pieces of iron were strewn across the area, amid pools of blood at the site of the wreckage near Rasheed street, one of the main thoroughfares in Baghdad.

Medics carried off the casualties, while civilians were seen picking through the debris, including a damaged food cart that was ripped apart by the blast.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has been responsible for previous attacks on civilians in the Iraqi capital.

ISIS has lost much of the northern and western territory it seized in 2014 and is now resisting an Iraqi offensive on the northern city of Mosul, the ultra-hardline militant group's last major stronghold in Iraq.

Iraqi forces faced fierce resistance from the militants in southern Mosul on Friday, while troops in the city's east and north cleared areas they had recaptured a day earlier.

ISIS has tried to hit back with major diversionary attacks on other targets across the country but has had little success in Baghdad.

Yesterday's bombings were the deadliest in the Iraqi capital since the start of the Mosul offensive on Oct 17.

At least 34 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a funeral tent in Baghdad's Shaab area on Oct 15.</s>A pair of bomb blasts targeting a market in central Baghdad Saturday killed at least 28 people and wounded at least 54, according to police and medical officials.

The attacks took place early Saturday morning in al-Sinak, a busy market selling car accessories, food and clothes as well as agricultural seeds and machinery.

Details were sketchy in the immediate aftermath. Police at first said a pair of back-to-back roadside bombs exploded. Later a police official said first a roadside bomb exploded, then a suicide bomber detonated his device amid the crowd that had gathered. Finally police concluded that the carnage was the work of a pair of suicide bombers

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.

The Islamic State group later claimed responsibility for the attacks in a statement posted by its Aamaq news agency, confirming that the blasts came from a pair of suicide bombers.</s>More than 15 people have been killed in multiple bomb blasts in a busy market in the Iraqi capital, police said. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack....</s>A pair of bomb blasts targeting a market in central Baghdad Saturday killed at least 28 people and wounded at least 54, according to police and medical officials.

The attacks took place early Saturday morning in al-Sinak, a busy market selling car accessories, food and clothes as well as agricultural seeds and machinery.

Details were sketchy in the immediate aftermath. Police at first said a pair of back-to-back roadside bombs exploded. Later a police official said first a roadside bomb exploded, then a suicide bomber detonated his device amid the crowd that had gathered. Finally police concluded that the carnage was the work of a pair of suicide bombers

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.

The Islamic State group later claimed responsibility for the attacks in a statement posted by its Aamaq news agency, confirming that the blasts came from a pair of suicide bombers.
A pair of bomb blasts targeting a market in central Baghdad kills at least 27 people and injures over 50.