18 Killed By Gunmen In Baghdad Shopping Mall

At least eighteen people were killed as armed assailants broke into a shopping mall in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, officials said. Daesh terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Four gunmen charged into the Jawaher mall in the predominately Shia Muslim Baghdad al-Jadida district on Monday, Reuters reported.

Before that, a car bomb exploded near the entrance to the mall, killing 7 people and injuring 27, according to preliminary reports by medics and police. Iraqi state TV reported that security forces were surrounding the site of what it called “a terrorist attack.” Police and medics told AP that according to their estimates, from 50 to 75 people were trapped inside the mall.

They added that at least three police officers were among those killed in the attack. he gunmen reportedly fired into the crowd as they approached the shopping mall in a busy commercial area of the Iraqi capital. A police source told AFP that three hostages inside the Jawaher mall were executed by the attackers.

"When the security forces got too close, [the attackers] killed three hostages… We are taking a cautious approach now. We want this attack to end with the lowest possible number of casualties," the source said. Iraqi television channel Al Sumaria cited a statement by the county’s Interior Ministry, which said that the hostage crisis has been resolved. “All the terrorists have been eliminated.

The situation in the Baghdad Jadida district is under control,” the statement said. The broadcaster also reported that all the hostages inside the mall have been rescued. Earlier on Monday, Daesh said it was behind a car bomb which killed three people and wounded eight others in the town of Baquba, 65 kilometers northeast of Baghdad.

 

SOURCE : GULFNEWS

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