Death toll in Iraq football pitch attack rises to 41
Date
3/27/2016 3:09:15 AM
(MENAFN- Asia Times) 17 boys were killed in the attack claimed by IS
The bomber detonated his suicide vestas local officials were handing trophies to the players after a local tournamentin thevillage of Al-Asriya south of Baghdad.
“Seventeen of those killed are boys aged between 10 and 16” anofficial added.
A video posted on social media shows a local official speaking in front of a table covered with trophies and calling out the name of a player before a huge blast.
The footage cuts off with a big flash of yellow light.
“The suicide bomber cut through the crowd to approach the centre of the gathering and blew himself up as the mayor was presenting awards to the players” said Ali Nashmi an 18-year-old witness.
Pictures posted on social media of the blast site showed mangled goal posts smeared with blood.
The United States state department extended its condolences to the bereaved in a statement as did the United Nations special envoy to Iraq.
IS has been losing territory steadily in Iraq for almost a year.
In the most recent operations Iraqi forces have been gaining ground in the western province of Anbar and have just begun their reconquest of the province of Nineveh.
Observers have warned that as their self-proclaimed “caliphate” shrinks towards extinction IS fighters are likely to revert to their old guerrilla tactics and ramp-up suicide attacks on civilian targets.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.