People and security forces gather at the site of a bombing in Wahailat market in Sadr City, Iraq, Monday, July 19, 2021. (KHALID MOHAMMED / AP)
BAGHDAD – Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi announced Saturday the arrest of members of a terrorist cell linked to a recent bomb attack in Baghdad that left dozens of people dead and wounded.
"We have arrested all members of the cowardly terrorist cell that planned and carried out the attack," al-Kadhimi tweeted, adding that they will be publicly tried.
Earlier in the week, 30 people were killed and more than 50 wounded in the bomb explosion at a crowded market in Sadr City in eastern district of Baghdad. The extremist Islamic State (IS) militant group later claimed responsibility for the attack.
Deadly bombings have been rare in Baghdad, as the security situation has improved in Iraq since Iraqi security forces fully defeated the IS militants across the country late in 2017.
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However, IS remnants have since melted into urban areas or deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.