Alfaqma Ice Cream Shop bombing
Just after midnight on March 30th, a bomb detonated just outside Alfaqma Ice Cream in Karrada, Iraq, a predominantly Shia neighborhood. A police officer on the scene put the number at 15 killed and 47 wounded. ISIL claimed the bombing, strategically executing the attack to purposely target Shia Muslims who were breaking from their Ramadan fasts. Owing to the warm night and tradition of eating and going to cafés after sunset, the attackers chose the location to inflict maximum damage.
Shia Rights Watch calls on the Iraqi government to continue to pursue the military objectives against ISIL, but must increase the security of the Shia population as a responsibility of a state to its people. The Shia neighborhoods will be especially vulnerable the more territory ISIL loses. These efforts of division must be known to the broader international community in order to keep regional actors from falling into ISIL’s trap.