Number Of Dead In Baghdad Blast Claimed By ISIS Rises To 292

Baghdad: A Baghdad bombing claimed by the ISIS group killed 292 people, a minister said Thursday, raising the toll of one of the deadliest single attacks in Iraq since the US-led invasion.

A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle in Baghdad's Karrada neighbourhood early on Sunday, ahead of the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Officials had previously put at more than 250 the death toll from the powerful blast, which sparked infernos that gutted nearby buildings in the popular shopping district.

Health Minister Adila Hamoud said the identities of 177 people killed in the bombing have yet to be determined, while 115 bodies have been handed over to families, according to a statement from the ministry.

The attack also wounded 200 people, Hamoud said.

The minister told AFP on Tuesday that the process of identifying all of the unknown bodies -- which she said at the time numbered 150 -- was expected to take between 15 and 45 days.

People were already furious over delays in determining the fate of loved ones, and with the number of unidentified bodies now bigger, it may take even longer.

The blast sparked widespread anger among Iraqis, some of whom have accused the government of failing to do enough to protect them.

Interior Minister Mohammed Ghabban tendered his resignation following the bombing, and authorities also announced the execution of five convicts and the arrest of 40 jihadists in an apparent bid to limit the fallout from the attack.

ISIS setbacks

Ghabban criticised the security system as fundamentally flawed and saying he could no longer accept responsibility for the consequences, calling for a series of changes that would ultimately increase the ministry's power.

An official in Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office told AFP on Wednesday that the premier had accepted the minister's resignation, though there has been no official statement from him on the matter.

The attack has overshadowed what would normally be a joyful holiday for Iraqi Muslims, instead turning it into a time of mourning and sadness.

Thousands of them have massed at the site of the bombing to mourn the dead and express solidarity with those stricken by the blast.

The street running between the charred remains of buildings burned in the attack was packed with people on Wednesday night, some carrying Iraqi flags, others holding candles.

Many wept and beat their chests in mourning for the dead.

Some of those gathered at the site on Thursday shouted slogans, while others read the Koran and left candles in front of banners of condolence.

Sunday's bombing was claimed by the ISIS group, which has its roots in the insurgency that began after the overthrow of dictator Saddam Hussein in the 2003 US-led invasion.

The ISISgroup overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces have since regained significant territory from the jihadists.

In response to the battlefield setbacks, the Sunni extremist group has hit back against civilians, and experts have warned there may be more bombings as the jihadists continue to lose ground.