Iraqi PM orders 'detailed investigation' into deadly Basra motorcycle bombing
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said on Tuesday that he had "ordered a detailed investigation to find the perpetrators" behind a deadly motorcycle bombing earlier that day in the southern oil-rich city of Basra.
At least four people were killed and four others injured in the incident, according to initial numbers released to the public. Although casualty figures in such bombings often rise in the days following such attacks, some local medical sources said that only two had been killed.
Read More: Motorcycle bomb kills 4 civilians in southern Iraqi city of Basra
"Our ISF heroes are combating the attempts of terrorists, and will defeat them throughout Iraq," Kadhimi wrote in a post on his Twitter page.
We ordered a detailed investigation to find the perpetrators behind the cowardly terrorist attack in Basrah.
— Mustafa Al-Kadhimi مصطفى الكاظمي (@MAKadhimi) December 7, 2021
Our ISF heroes are combating the attempts of terrorists, and will defeat them throughout Iraq. Our people’s security will not be undermined.
God's mercy on Iraq’s martyrs.
He finished the post with, "Our people’s security will not be undermined."
According to the military statement, from the military press office known as the Iraqi Security Media Cell, the vehicle exploded at the city's "Al-Samoud Intersection" and resulted in two civilian vehicles catching fire and burning, not far from the Republican Hospital.
It did not share additional details, but wrote in "forensic experts and specialized technical teams are conducting investigations at the scene of the attack."
No individual or group has yet claimed responsibility for the explosion.
Basra Governor Asaad al-Eidani called for three days of mourning for the victims, and told reporters that the explosion "carries the hallmarks of ISIS."
Al-Marbad Radio, based in southern Iraq, quoted the commander of Basra Operations Command as saying that the security services have "initial leads that will be revealed soon regarding the bomber."
Local sources told Kurdistan 24 that the bombing targeted a number of intelligence service members who had participated in a campaign of arrests against "death squads" in Basra, referring to Iranian-backed militias of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), accused of kidnapping and killing protesters, activists, and journalists supporting the so-called "October demonstrations" that began in late 2019 in multiple central and southern provinces.
The last large-scale ISIS attack in key Iraqi cities dates back to July, when a suicide bomber killed more than 35 people inside a market in Baghdad.
Read More: At least 35 people killed and wounded in market explosion in Baghdad's Sadr City: Sources
ISIS militants have, however, recently ramped up attacks in territories disputed territories between Iraq’s federal and regional governments, taking advantage of security gaps between the two sides.
Since Nov. 27, assaults carried out by the extremist group have killed 23 people, including Peshmerga fighters and Kurdish civilians.
Read More: Kurdistan Parliament will discuss increase in ISIS attacks
A joint brigade of the Iraqi army and Kurdish Peshmerga were deployed on Monday to the disputed village of Lheban northwest of Kirkuk following an ISIS attack there.
