Iraq: A suicide bomber kills at least 32 in Baghdad Two suicide bombers killed at least 32 people and wounded dozens in a busy commercial area of ​​the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Thursday.

 Iraq: A suicide bomber kills at least 32 in Baghdad

Two suicide bombers killed at least 32 people and wounded dozens in a busy commercial area of ​​the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Thursday.

Authorities say two suicide bombers blew themselves up at a clothing market in Taran, Baghdad, as security forces chased them.

The last suicide attack in the city took place in January 2018 in the same bazaar in which 35 people were killed.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but it is widely believed that the so-called Islamic State is behind it.

The Iraqi government declared victory in the war against the Islamic State terrorist organization in 2017. But the organization's childish elements continue to operate on a limited scale, mostly in rural areas of the country, often targeting security personnel.

An Iraqi army spokesman, Yahya Rassoul, said security forces were pursuing the two suicide bombers on Thursday in the Bab Sharqi area of ​​the city.

The attackers targeted Taran Square, an open-air used clothing market, which reopened almost a year ago after restrictions imposed by the Coronavirus.

The Interior Ministry said in a statement that the first suicide bomber entered the bazaar and tried to give the impression that he had severe abdominal pain. As people began to gather around him, he blew up his belt of ammunition wrapped around his waist.

A shopkeeper in the bazaar told Reuters that a suicide bomber had fallen to the ground, grabbed his stomach, and started moaning, followed by a detonator or a bomb in his hand. The button was pressed, followed by a loud explosion. The rags of the people nearby flew away.

According to the Iraqi Interior Ministry, the second blast occurred as people rushed to the aid of those injured in the first blast.

A video posted on social media shows the second blast between people in a street. Other videos of the blast show bodies strewn across the street after the blast.

Immediately after the blast, ambulances began arriving to transport the injured to hospitals.

No group has claimed responsibility for Thursday's attack, but Maj. Gen. Khadim Salman, head of the Civil Defense Organization, said the so-called Islamic State could be involved in the blasts.

The terrorist attacks in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, were almost non-existent after the Islamic State militant group was defeated in the country's northwest. Iraqi security forces also had the help of US-led multinational forces in Iraq and Iranian-backed militias to defeat the Islamic State militant group.

The Islamic State extremist group once occupied an area of ​​88,000 square kilometers from eastern Iraq to western Syria, and the eight million people living there were severely oppressed.

In August last year, a report by the UN Secretary-General stated that there were about 10,000 Islamic State operatives operating in Iraq and Syria.

These fighters have formed small groups and have been able to move easily between Syria and Iraq. Some of them have built safe havens in the mountains of northeastern Iraq.

US coalition forces said in October that Islamic State militants were increasingly using homemade landmines and small arms. The groups are based in the northern provinces of Dalia, Salahuddin, Kirkuk and Nineveh, and Anbar.

The bombings in Baghdad on Thursday came a day after the government announced that the country's early elections would be held in October instead of June. The delay was intended to give election officials more time to register voters and register new parties.