Vigil for victims of deadly Baghdad blasts

Shiites, Sunnis and Christians have gathered to pray for the victims of two bomb attacks in Baghdad.

Almost 120 people were killed and 200 wounded in the blasts, most of them in a busy shopping area in the largely Shi’ite district of Karrada, amid Ramadan celebrations.

Ali Mohammed, a tearful local resident, asked: “Is this Eid? Every Eid we celebrate. Is this our Eid that everybody celebrates? Is this the Eid we should celebrate?

“People came to buy clothes to celebrate Eid. Now they are buying coffins, they’re buying shrouds for the dead. May God punish those who are responsible.”

Hundreds of candles are lit now in Karrada area as people mourn the victims. #Baghdad #Iraq pic.twitter.com/ovCbDc1ak8— Hayder Al-Shakeri (@HayderSH) 3. Juli 2016

The second attack – a roadside bomb – struck a market in al-Shaab, a Shi’ite district in the north of the Iraqi capital.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has reportedly faced angry crowds in Karrada. The attack in this district is the deadliest since US-backed Iraqi forces dislodged ISIL from their stronghold of Falluja last month.