At least 120 people were killed Saturday night and early Sunday morning in Baghdad in two separate bombings, one of which was a suicide bomber for which the Islamic State claimed credit.
The suicide bomber blew up a truck near a shopping area in Iraq’s capital late Saturday, and killed at least 115 people and wounded 187 others, according to the Associated Press.
Children and police were among the dead.
In a second incident early Sunday, a bomb went off that killed 5 more and wounded 16.
The Islamic State took credit for the first incident, which happened while people were out shopping and eating. The AP reported that many burned to death or suffocated inside a mall where the explosion happened.
Press reports had varying estimates of the number of people killed, and some were as high as 131 as of Sunday morning.
National Security Council spokesman Ned Price condemned the attacks late Sunday morning, and put the death toll at over 100 people.
“The United States strongly condemns ISIL’s heinous terrorist attacks in Baghdad last night that killed over 100 people, including families gathering to break their Ramadan fast and those joining millions around the world in watching the Euro Cup,” he said. “We remain united with the Iraqi people and government in our combined efforts to destroy ISIL.”
“These attacks only strengthen our resolve to support Iraqi security forces as they continue to take back territory from ISIL, just as we continue to intensify our efforts to root out ISIL’s terrorist network and leaders,” he added.
Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL tweeted that “the world must stand with #Iraq.”
#ISIL targeting families, women, and children in #Baghdad. The world must stand with #Iraq and its proud people in the face of this evil.
— Brett McGurk (@brett_mcgurk) July 3, 2016
The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for Iraq, Jan Kubis, called it a “cowardly and heinous act of unparalleled proportions.”
“This shows Daesh’s wanton intentions to kill, maim and demoralize,” Kubis said.
An earlier version of this story incorrectly included a White House reaction to different attacks in Bangladesh.
