BAGHDAD (AP) — A car bomb exploded outside a popular ice cream shop in central Baghdad just after midnight on Monday, killing 13 people and wounding 24, hospital and police officials said.

The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, which Iraqi officials said involved apparently remotely detonated explosives inside a parked car. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

The attack came just days into the holy month of Ramadan when Muslims fast during daylight hours. After sundown, families break their fast and Baghdad’s restaurants and cafes quickly fill up.

Videos posted to social media showed chaotic scenes on the streets surrounding the blast. A number of wounded lay on the ground, others propped themselves up on the colorful park benches outside the ice cream shop. One young girl, wearing a ribbon and bow in her hair, wandered the scene dazed.

Ramadan is often marked by an uptick in violence in Iraq.

Last year, Baghdad was rocked by a huge truck bomb attack that targeted a popular retail district in the city center where young people and families were shopping for new clothes ahead of the holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. The blast killed hundreds in the single deadliest event in Baghdad since Saddam Hussein was toppled in 2003. The IS group also claimed responsibility for that bombing, which ultimately led to the resignation of Iraq’s interior minister.

Tuesday’s attack comes as Iraqi troops are slowing pushing IS fighters out of their last strongholds in the northern city of Mosul. Iraqi commanders say the offensive, which recently entered its eight month, will mark the end of the IS caliphate in Iraq, but concede the group will likely increase insurgent attacks in the wake of military defeats.

___

This story has been corrected to say that the bomb exploded early Tuesday.</s>At least 13 persons have died after a car bomb exploded outside an ice cream parlour in Baghdad, Iraq. A large explosion in the central Karrada district rocked the Iraqi capital late Monday night.

The Islamic State terrorist group later claimed responsibility for the attack on civilians, where explosives were apparently detonated from inside a parked car. A bombing in the Karrada district last July killed nearly 300 people.

"ISIS terrorists tonight in Baghdad target children & families enjoying time together at an ice cream shop. We stand w/Iraq against this evil," the U.S.'s anti-ISIS envoy Brett McGurk posted on Twitter.</s>An Australian schoolgirl was one of more than a dozen people killed when a massive car bomb tore through a popular ice-cream parlour in the Iraqi capital Baghdad this week.

Zynab Al Harbiya, 12, was with her family at the Al-Faqma ice-cream parlour in Baghdad's central Karrada district in the early hours of Tuesday, local time, when a jihadist blew up an explosive-laden car parked outside.

The blast tore through the shop, which was packed with families, killing the Melbourne girl and at least 14 other people, and wounding 32 more.

"She was just going to buy ice-cream," her distraught cousin Layla AlSaabary told Nine News in Melbourne.

"We hear about these things, people the victims of terrorist attacks, and she was just going to have ice-cream after she broke her fast [for Ramadan].

"I still expect her to come and tease me, and play around, and make fun and joke.

"She is too small to go so early."

Ms AlSaabary also told the ABC that Zynab had been fearful of a bombing before she left Australia.

"She told my son before she left, she said 'I am scared of the bombs' and we said it is OK," Ms AlSaabary said.

Several children were among the dead, and graphic footage from the scene showed scenes of devastation, with body parts strewn across the ground.

Zynab, a year 7 student at Sirius College in Broadmeadows in Melbourne's north, had travelled to Iraq with her parents to visit her sick grandfather, her cousin said.

Zynab went to the ice-cream parlour with her cousins about midnight as they ended their day of fasting for the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. During Ramadan, people refrain from eating between sunrise and sundown, often coming together to eat at night.

Zynab, from Thomastown in Melbourne, was reportedly at the counter paying for ice-cream when the blast tore through the shop.

One of her cousins was injured, but is expected to survive.

Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop said it was "with great sadness" that she could confirm the Australian girl's death in a "vicious car bombing that killed so many people".

"She is a young girl from Thomastown in Melbourne. She was visiting Baghdad with her family, particularly to see her grandfather during Ramadan.

"I extend our deepest sympathies to her family, her loved ones, her fellow students."

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, which Ms Bishop said "underscores the brutality of this terrorist organisation that shows no respect for religion, nationality, sovereignty, borders, no respect for humanity".

She said DFAT officials in Baghdad were providing consular assistance to Zynab's family.

Halid Serdar Takimoglu, the principal of Sirius College, described Zynab as an energetic, smiling student who was loved by her friends.

"This is devastating and shocking news for Zynab's family, for her classmates and teachers, and for our entire community," he said.

"All of us are deeply distressed that one of our smiling students has been taken from us in a cruel act of violence that is beyond understanding.

"Our immediate concern is to support Zynab's family here in Melbourne, her parents in Iraq, our students and our school community. "

He said the school said prayers for Zynab on Wednesday, and counsellors were brought in to support staff and students.

A funeral service is expected to be held on Wednesday in Melbourne for Zynab, who was due to turn 13 next month.

Graphic footage that appeared to have been recorded on a mobile phone shortly after the blast showed a dazed young girl stepping past the body of a woman, while body parts were strewn across blood-smeared tiles. The wounded could be heard calling for help.

IS has also claimed responsibility for another car bomb attack on the same night near the Shuhada Bridge, about six kilometres away from the ice-cream parlour.

The second bomb detonated outside an office where people collected their government pensions. It killed 14 and wounded at least 37, police said.

Both bombings had targeted "gatherings" of Shiite Muslims, IS said.

The death toll from the two attacks was the highest over a 24-hour period in Baghdad for several months.

Brett McGurk, the US diplomat co-ordinating the international coalition fighting against IS, condemned the ice-cream parlour attack as "evil".</s>A car bomb was remotely detonated outside of a popular ice cream parlor in central Baghdad overnight, killing at least 13 people and wounding 24 others,, according to local officials. Video showed a catastrophic aftermath of the bombing, which was claimed by ISIS.

The attack took place around midnight. The area is particularly busy because this is Ramadan, during which Muslims fast during the day, and feast after sundown. Restaurants and other food vendors are open late, and particularly busy at this late hour because of the holiday.

Busy crowded civilian targets are popular targets for militants during Ramadan, particularly in places like Baghdad where targeted neighborhoods are broadly Shi’ite, and the militants can assume that the casualties will also overwhelmingly be Shi’ites.

With Iraq heavily focusing their military on an invasion in Mosul, there are fewer and fewer forces remaining to provide security in the rest of the country, and with ISIS feeling pressure in Mosul, they are likely to be even more eager to lash out at soft targets around the country.
• Growing Fears of ISIS Establishing a Foothold in Southern Philippines - May 29th, 2017
• McCain: Putin Is a Bigger Threat Than ISIS - May 29th, 2017
• Over 1,000 Syria Rebels Leave Damascus Area in Evacuation Deal - May 29th, 2017</s>A 12-year-old girl from Melbourne named Zaynb Al Harbiya was killed in a bomb blast at the Al-Faqma ice cream parlour in Baghdad's central Karrada district this week. The blast tore through the ice cream shop that was filled with families at that time, claiming at least 16 more lives and leaving 32 people wounded.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has confirmed Zynab’s death according to The Australian. She said the government is helping her family with consular assistance.

“With great sadness I can confirm that a 12-year-old Australian girl, Zynab (sic) Al Harbiya, was killed during this car bombing,” Bishop announced. She said Zynab was from Thomastown, Melbourne and was in Baghdad with her family at the time of the attack to see her grandfather during Ramadan.

She is a student of Sirius College in Broadmeadows and was about to celebrate her 13th birthday next month. There are no reports of her family being injured.

Bishop added Zynab’s death highlights the cruelty of the Islamic State terrorist organisation, adding the group does not show respect for religion, nationality, sovereignty, borders and for humanity. A funeral service is expected to be held for Zynab in Melbourne.

An Iraqi community member in Melbourne named Sama Hadad has also confirmed the death of the Australian girl. In a statement, Hadad described Zynab as a loving and fun 12-year-old, adding she was killed in the terrorist attack in Baghdad Monday night.

Layla AlSaabary, Zynab’s cousin, told Nine News in Melbourne the victim was only going to buy ice cream. "We hear about these things, people the victims of terrorist attacks, and she was just going to have ice-cream after she broke her fast [for Ramadan],” she said.

Several children were among the casualties. Graphic footage from the shows body parts strewn across the ground.

In an online statement, the Islamic State said it is the culprit of the attack. The group has also claimed responsibility for another bomb attack on Monday night near the Shuhada Bridge. That was about six kilometres away from the Al-Faqma ice cream parlour.

According to the police, the second blasts have killed 14 people and left 17 injured. The number of deaths from the two attacks was the highest over a 24-hour period in Baghdad for several months. The blasts, which targeted gatherings of Shiite Muslims, took place days into the holy month of Ramadan when Muslims are fasting during daylight hours.

Australian paedophiles to be banned from travelling abroad without valid reason

 Indonesians imprisoned in Australia for alleged people smuggling push $103m class action</s>BAGHDAD: A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle at a popular Baghdad ice cream shop, killing at least eight people, security officials said on Tuesday (May 30).

The overnight attack in the Karrada district in central Baghdad also wounded at least 30 people, officials said.

The Islamic State group-linked Amaq propaganda agency said the suicide bomber targeted a "gathering of Shiites."

IS considers members of Iraq's Shiite Muslim majority to be heretics and frequently carries out attacks against them.

The bomber struck just days after the start of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, during which Iraqis often stay out late shopping or socialising after breaking their daily fast.

Images and footage posted on social media showed the devastating impact of the blast, which ripped through the crowded area around Al-Faqma ice cream shop, scattering rubble across the street.

One photo showed cups of ice cream scattered on the blood-stained ground following the attack.

Brett McGurk, the envoy to the US-led anti-IS coalition, condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with Iraq.

"ISIS terrorists tonight in Baghdad target children & families enjoying time together at an ice cream shop. We stand w/Iraq against this evil," McGurk said on Twitter, using an alternate acronym for IS.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes have since regained much of the territory they lost and are now fighting to retake the last jihadist-held areas in second city Mosul.

But defeats on the battlefield have not prevented IS from carrying out deadly attacks targeting civilians, including a bombing in the Karrada area last year that killed more than 300 people.</s>BAGHDAD — A massive bombing by the Islamic State group outside a popular ice cream shop in central Baghdad and a rush hour car bomb in another downtown area killed at least 31 people on Tuesday, Iraqi officials said.

Later in the day, bombings in and around the Iraqi capital killed seven more people.

The attacks come as IS militants are steadily losing more territory to U.S.-backed Iraqi forces in the battle for Mosul, the country’s second-largest city. The Sunni extremists are increasingly turning to insurgency-style terror attacks to distract attention from their losses.

The nighttime attack outside the ice cream parlour in the bustling Karrada neighbourhood killed 17 people and also wounded 32, police and health officials said.

A closed-circuit camera captured the moment of the explosion, the video showing a busy downtown avenue, with cars driving down the street when the blast strikes. A huge fireball then engulfs a building, forcing the cars to scramble to get away. Other videos of the attack posted on social media show wounded and bloodied people crying for help on the sidewalk outside the ice cream parlour.

In the second attack, an explosives-laden car went off during rush hour near the state-run Public Pension Office in Baghdad’s busy Shawaka area, killing 14, a police officer said. At least 37 people were wounded in that attack, he added.

In separate online statements, IS claimed responsibility for the two attacks, saying its suicide bombers targeted gatherings of Shiites. The Associated Press could not verify the authenticity of the statements but they were posted on a militant website commonly used by extremists.

Later Tuesday, seven people died and 19 were wounded in four separate bombings in and around Baghdad, officials said. The attacks targeted commercial areas and a patrol of Sunni anti-IS tribal fighters, they said. No group immediately claimed those attacks.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

The attacks came just days into the holy month of Ramadan when Muslims fast during daylight hours. After sundown, families break their fast and Baghdad’s restaurants and cafes quickly fill up with people staying up long into the night.

During Ramadan last year, another section of Karrada was hit by massive suicide bombing that killed almost 300 people, the deadliest single attack in the Iraqi capital in 13 years of war. The attack was also claimed by IS.

Details of how the militants managed to stage Tuesday’s attacks were not immediately clear. After last year’s attack, Iraqi authorities stepped up security in Karrada, especially in the area of the bombing.

In the northern city of Mosul, Iraqi troops are pushing IS fighters out of their last strongholds. Iraqi commanders say the offensive, which recently entered its eight month, will mark the end of the IS caliphate in Iraq, but concede the group will likely increase insurgent attacks in the wake of military defeats.</s>ISIS militants on Monday claimed responsibility for a deadly nighttime bombing outside a popular ice cream shop in central Baghdad where families with children were enjoying a late-night snack after breaking their fast for Ramadan.

Iraqi officials have raised the death toll to 15.

A closed-circuit camera video of the explosion shows a busy downtown avenue, with cars driving down the street when a massive blast strikes.

Then, a huge fireball engulfs a building, forcing the cars to scramble to get away. Videos of the attack posted on social media show wounded and bloodied people crying for help on the sidewalk outside the ice cream parlor.

Al Jazeera reported that a number of those hurt were on the ground and propped themselves on colorful benches outside the shop. It is unclear how many of the dead were children, but the report pointed out that one girl, wearing a ribbon and bow in her hair, wandered around in an apparent daze after the blast.

Police and security officials say the explosion in the Iraqi capital's bustling Karrada neighborhood early on Tuesday also wounded 27 people. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility, saying a suicide bomber carried out the attack. Officials told Al Jazeera that the explosives were placed in a parked car.

"[ISIS] wants Iraqis to fear going out and this is to show they are still present and able to strike the heart of the Iraqi capital, even as they are being defeated on the battlefield," Hayder al-Khoei, a London-based Middle East expert, told Al Jazeera.

Brett McGurk, the U.S. envoy to the coalition against ISIS tweeted, "Isis [IS] terrorists tonight in Baghdad target children & families enjoying time together at an ice cream shop. We stand w/Iraq against this evil.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report</s>Iraqi officials say a car bomb exploded outside a popular ice cream shop in Baghdad, killing 10 people and wounding 22.Hospital and police officials say the attack struck late Monday just days into the holy month of Ramadan when Muslims fast during daylight hours. As families break their fast after sundown, restaurants and cafes in Baghdad quickly fill up.The officials say the bombing targeted a popular ice cream shop in central Baghdad and involved explosives left in a parked car. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State group has claimed similar attacks in the past, including a big truck bombing during Ramadan last year that killed hundreds of people.</s>Twin car bombings just hours apart have targeted two groups of people going about their daily lives in Baghdad — young families having a late night Ramadan snack and older city residents collecting their pensions.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for both attacks, which killed 21 people, through its affiliate news agency Amaq.

The first bomb, which killed 10 people and wounded 40 others, exploded at an ice cream shop in the heart of Baghdad in the early hours of Tuesday; eyewitnesses described ice cream mixed with blood as the wounded and dead covered the ground.

The second went off as elderly residents lined up outside the General Retirement Department waiting for their pensions to be handed out on Tuesday morning. Eleven people died, another 43 were wounded.

“It was a very, very ugly scene,” said journalist Hareth Al-Harethi, who was 20 meters away from the ice cream shop when the bomb exploded.

“The street was covered in toys, baby bottles, small shoes and men’s hats,” he told CNN.

Harethi said most of the victims he saw were women and children. At the hospital nearby treating the wounded, he saw mothers lying on the floor in grief.

Baghdad’s Karrada street, where the ice cream shop is located, is lined with popular restaurants and cafes. Young people and families usually fill the area at night, especially during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan when city streets typically become busy with social gatherings.

The second explosion, which witnesses say “rocked the neighborhood — targeted the elderly.

“Our life has become full of explosions… but this was not normal,” a shop owner near the Retirement Department told CNN.

He said that before the attack, the group of pensioners were waiting to go through security before entering the government building.

Ibrahim Al Zararee, 23, who was driving by when the explosion went off, told CNN that the area, the site of the city’s oldest marketplace, was buzzing with people.

“Every time this happens, everyone is gloomy,” said Al Zararee. “You can see in people’s face that they’re waiting to see what will happen next?”

Responding to the attacks, Iraqi Interior Minister Qasim Mohammad al-Araji said authorities would “track (ISIS) down wherever they may be.”

“They targeted a group of civilians; families, women and children in these nights of Ramadan and this is clear evidence that this organization is a terrorist one trying to kill civilians by any means,” he told journalists.

Last Ramadan, ISIS killed at least 40 people and wounded 74 others in an attack on a Shia mausoleum in Belad, Iraq. It called on its supporters to carry out more attacks during the holy Muslim month.

On Sunday, less than two days before the ice cream shop attack, a suicide bomber killed four security officers at a security checkpoint northeast of Baghdad. Ten people were wounded in the blast, which Iraqi police attributed to ISIS.

In 2014, ISIS took control of Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city. Last October, Iraqi forces began an offensive to retake the city and on Saturday, security forces started an operation to take the remaining neighborhoods in western Mosul still under the group’s control.
A car bomb explosion outside a popular ice cream parlor in central Baghdad kills 13 people and injures 24. ISIL claims responsibility for the attack.