120 killed in Baghdad bombings

Nearly 120 people were killed and 200 wounded in two bombings overnight in Baghdad, most of them in a busy shopping area, police and medical sources said on Sunday.

The attack on the shopping area of Karrada is the deadliest since U.S.-backed Iraqi forces last month scored a major victory when it dislodged Daesh from their stronghold of Falluja, an hour's drive west of the capital. It is also the deadliest so far this year.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had ordered the offensive after a series of deadly bombings in Baghdad, saying Falluja served as a launchpad for such attacks on the capital. However, bombings have continued.

A refrigerator truck packed with explosives blew up in the central district of Karrada, killing 115 people and injuring at least 200. Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement circulated online by supporters of the group. It said the blast was a suicide bombing.

Karrada was busy at the time as Iraqis eat out and shop late during the fasting month of Ramadan, which ends next week with the Eid al-Fitr festival.

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