Baghdad bombings: Islamic State escalates terror campaign

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the Dhaka cafe massacre in Bangladesh and a series of bombings in Baghdad over the weekend in what is being interpreted as a serious escalation in the group's activities outside its so-called caliphate.

Bombs ripped through a busy shopping district in the centre of Baghdad at around midnight on Saturday, killing at least 165 people and injuring 225 others. Many young people and families had been breaking their fast after sundown during the holy month of Ramadan. IS subsequently posted a statement online saying it had deliberately targeted Shia Muslims.

The Iraqi government has declared three days of national mourning.

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It was the deadliest bombing in Iraq this year and comes less than a week after Iraqi forces declared the city of Falluja, around 40 miles to the west of Baghdad, "fully liberated" from IS control.

Despite the government's battlefield victories, the latest killings show IS "remains capable of launching attacks far from the front lines", says The Guardian.

The terror group has also claimed responsibility for the massacre at a cafe in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka late on Friday, in which 20 hostages, including an Italian, Japanese and a US citizen, were hacked to death.

It said it had deliberately targeted the citizens of "Crusader countries" during the standoff.

However, due to IS's history of claiming responsibility for unattributed acts of terrorism, "it was not clear if the plot was organised by the group's leadership in Syria or developed locally in Bangladesh", says the Daily Telegraph.

Despite photographs of the alleged attackers posing in front of a black IS flag, Bangladesh's home minister, Asaduzzaman Khan, yesterday said they had "no connections" with IS and belonged to a local Islamic militant group, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, which "has been banned for more than a decade".

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the attack "appeared to mark a departure for homegrown extremist groups", which have been behind a series of individual machete attacks in the past year.

The Bangladeshi government has repeatedly denied the presence of IS in the country.

IS-held Falluja 'fully liberated' by Iraqi forces

27 June

Iraqi forces have recaptured the last district in Falluja still under Islamic State control, ending a month-long campaign that forced tens of thousands of people from their homes.

"Today, this flag is flying high in Falluja and God willing, it will soon fly in Mosul," said Iraq's Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi.

The city, which lies 40 miles west of Baghdad, was the first Iraqi city to fall to IS in January 2014.

The loss of Falluja is the latest in a string of setbacks for the militant group and is expected to hasten its retreat. The insurgents put up "limited resistance and folded after some commanders abandoned the fight", Reuters reports. The Iraqi forces were assisted by US-led coalition air strikes and Shia

At least 1,800 militants had been killed and as much as 30 per cent of the city destroyed during the operation, Lieutenant General Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi told Reuters.

Local council spokesman Salam Ajami al-Halbusi said most of the damage had been caused by IS militants as they retreated.

"IS used thousands of [improvised explosive devices] and hundreds of booby-trapped vehicles," he said. "IS also booby-trapped the houses of the army and police members, tribal leaders and everyone who objected to the terrorist organisation's ideology."

While the victory is an important step forward, there is still a long way to go for the Iraqi government, according to BBC's Middle East analyst Alan Johnston.

"Securing a military triumph was only part of the challenge that the government faced in Falluja," he says. "If there is to be long-term calm and stability there, the city's Sunni Muslims will need to be made to feel that the predominantly Shia authorities in Baghdad are listening to them, and taking into account their security, economic and other concerns."

According to The Guardian, "greater military resources will now be turned to the attack on Mosul, the other major city held by IS in Iraq".

Iraq: Government troops 'liberate' Falluja city council

17 June

Iraqi forces say they have recovered the main government compound in Falluja from Islamic State (IS), raising the national flag over the buildings after a four-week offensive in the besieged city.

A senior commander, Lt Gen Abdul Wahhab al-Saadi, told the BBC that elite counter-terrorism troops had "liberated" the city council building in Falluja, which has been held by IS since January 2014, longer than any other Iraqi city.

The victory is a "significant step", says AFP. Iraq's federal police chief, Raed Shaker Jawdat, said: "The liberation of the government compound, which is the main landmark in the city, symbolises the restoration of the state's authority."

Saadi said government forces had met only "limited resistance" from IS as they advanced in pursuit of the militants, who are thought to be regrouping further west.

Government forces launched the offensive in May after besieging the city for months, says the BBC, and there is no "immediate information" about the 50,000 civilians thought to be trapped there with little access to food or fresh water.

It has been reported that IS was using the civilians as human shields to slow down the approach of the government troops and limit air strikes by the US-led international coalition.

Several civilians have been killed by IS as they attempted to escape the city, including a two-year-old boy being carried by his mother on Monday. It has also been claimed troops loyal to Iraq have been torturing and executing civilians in the area.

Yesterday, Al Jazeera reported that a "growing number" of civilians are saying they were tortured by a group of sectarian militias which has played a "major role" in assisting Iraqi troops as they fight IS.

One victim told the broadcaster he and others had suffered "days of hell" at the hands of the militia, purely for belonging to a different branch of Islam. He showed his scars to Al Jazeera.

Iraq prepares major assault to retake Falluja from IS

23 May

Iraqi forces have begun an assault on the town of Falluja, one of the last major strongholds of Islamic State in Iraq.

Government troops, police officers and volunteer militias are believed to have the city surrounded and there are reports of heavy shelling in the city.

"A major build-up of forces became evident in recent days as Shiite militias working alongside the Iraqi army moved military equipment to the area and officials suggested an operation was imminent," the Wall Street Journal says.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told state television: "By the name of God, we are here to announce that the Iraqi flag will soon be flying in the sky of Falluja.

"Today, we will tear down the black flags of these despicable strangers who abducted this dear city."

Falluja was the first city to fall as IS troops swept through northern Iraq in January 2014, capturing swathes of territory and committing atrocities against both the Shia majority and the Yazidi minority groups.

Jumaa al-Jumaili, a commander of local Sunni forces, told the Washington Post that the assault would meet bitter resistance.

"They desperately want to keep Falluja because of its symbolic importance and location close to Baghdad," he said, adding that the city was "almost besieged from all sides".

Reports indicate that between 60,000 and 90,000 civilians remain in the city, without access to food or medical supplies. Many are thought to be relatives of IS fighters, although al-Jumaili said the terror group plans to use civilians as human shields.

Iraqi security forces called on residents to flee, but IS-manned checkpoints on the routes leading out of Falluja make escape impossible for many, says The Guardian. The Iraqi military has urged those unable to leave to raise a white flag above their home.

"Zero hour for the liberation of Falluja has arrived. The moment of great victory has drawn near and Daesh has no choice but to flee," Al-Abadi said.