Two explosions in Iraq killed 83 people

WorldMozaic - Two explosions in Iraq killed 83 people.

At least 83 people were killed and 93 others wounded in coordinated car bombings and gunfire near the city of Nasriyah in Dhi Qar province in southern Iraq.

"The latest number of casualties caused by car bombs and firearms attacks in Fadak area, Dhi Qar Province, rose to 83 dead and 93 wounded, and many of them are in critical condition," said Jasim Al-Khaledi, head of Provincial Health Department by telephone told Xinhua.

There are a number of Iranian nationals who were among the dead and wounded, Al-Khaledi said.

Earlier, he cited the death toll of 50 and 87 wounded in two attacks.

Two attacks occurred on Thursday afternoon, when gunmen stormed a restaurant in the Fadak area, west of Nasriyah City, some 375 kilometers south of Baghdad capital.



Meanwhile, a car bomb was detonated at a security checkpoint near a restaurant that was attacked, a provincial security source said.

Iraqi security forces clashed with on-site attackers and shot dead four of them, Operation Command Rafidain said, Xinhua reported. The command was responsible for security in Dhi Qar Province.

On Thursday night, the ISIS group also claimed responsibility for both attacks in Fadak near Nasriyah, and said suicide bombers targeted a restaurant and a security checkpoint. However, the group's statement can not be validated.

Hours after the attack, Iraqi Interior Minister Qasim Al-Araji sacked the head of the Dhi Qar provincial intelligence service and placed himself for interrogation after the deadly attack that hit the province, an interior ministry source told Xinhua.

In a statement issued by his office, Parliament speaker Salim Al-Jubouri condemned the terror attacks in the province, calling on security forces and their leaders to develop a security plan to ensure the protection of lives and property in Dhi Qar province and all other provinces in Iraq.

The Sadr Block in the Iraqi Parliament, which is faithful to Shiite cleric Moqtada As-Sadr, called for increased security throughout Iraq and found a network of sleeping terror seeking to offset the defeat of ISIS.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi National Alliance - a Sunni bloc in Parliament - condemned the bombing and said that "This attack shows blind terror began its last breath due to its confusion and disappointment after losing their hideout in Iraq.

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said in a statement that they "strongly condemn two cowardly attacks launched by Daesh (Arabic for the ISIS group) against a restaurant and a security checkpoint in Nasiriyah in southern Iraq, many civilians.