Baghdad marks 10th anniversary of Karrada bombing that killed more than 300

BAGHDAD, Iraq — More than 300 people were killed and around 250 others wounded on July 3, 2016, when a bomb-laden vehicle detonated in Baghdad's Karrada district during the final days of Ramadan, leveling parts of three shopping centers including the main commercial complex, al-Lays. The attack set nearby vehicles and buses on fire and burned through rows of shopfronts lining the commercial street. ISIS claimed responsibility for the assault. According to a statement later issued by then-Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, the commander identified by the group as the operation's lead, Gazzawi al-Zubaidi, was captured abroad in October 2021 following an intelligence operation. Al-Zubaidi was executed in August 2023 alongside two other militants sentenced to death for the Karrada attack and other operations, a step that then-Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani announced during a meeting with the victims' families. Ten years on, the damaged walls of the shopping centers have been repainted and the collapsed sections reconstructed, but photographs of those killed remain on display in the area. Each year, families gather near the al-Lays complex to light candles in memory of the dead. Although ISIS no longer holds territory in Iraq, security operations continue, and Karrada, one of Baghdad's busiest commercial districts, still carries the weight of the massacre.