ISIL claims responsibility for deadly Baghdad bomb attacks

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At least 39 people were killed and 86 others wounded on Monday in a wave of bomb attacks targeting crowded areas, mainly in predominantly Shiite neighborhoods, in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.

The deadliest attack occurred before noon when a booby-trapped car detonated at a crowded intersection in the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City, an eastern suburb of Baghdad, leaving 35 people dead and 61 others wounded, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The massive blast destroyed several shops nearby and many stalls at an outdoor market, setting fire to several vehicles, the source said.

Iraqi men carry the coffin of a victim of the Sadr City car bomb attack, in a funeral ceremony held in the Iraqi holy Shiite city of Najaf, January 2, 2017./CFP Photo

Another car bomb later in the day detonated in the car park of al-Kindi Hospital in the center of the capital, killing three people, according to BBC.

Later in the day, ISIL claimed responsibility for the Sadr City attack and the hospital blast in a statement posted online.The group has repeatedly claimed responsibility for deadly attacks targeting Iraqi security forces as well as crowded areas, including markets, cafes and mosques across the country.

ISIL claimed responsibility on Saturday for a double suicide bombing on a market in Baghdad, which killed 28 people. According to BBC, the reported targets were Shiites.

People gather after a blast caused by a bomb-laden vehicle in Sadr City, Baghdad, on January 2, 2017./CFP Photo

On the same day, a booby-trapped car went off near Um al-Tubool mosque in Dakhliyah neighborhood in southern Baghdad, killing one civilian and wounding 10 others, Xinhua's source said.‍

The attack apparently targeted the convoy of a Sunni cleric, who escaped unharmed, the source said, adding that Sheikh Mahdi al-Sumaida'i was likely targeted for his close ties with the predominantly Shiite government.

Another car bomb ripped through Zaafaraniyah neighborhood in southeast Baghdad, wounding three people, the source told Xinhua.