There has been relative tranquility in Iraq over the past few months compared to the violence that the country has hosted over the past few years. Monday morning was not one of those tranquil days. The Shaab district in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, was the setting for yet another attack on unsuspecting civilians, one of many attacks that have taken place in the area. A car bomb tore through a crowded area of shoppers, killing approximately 20 and injuring another 35.
Reasons for the attack are unknown due to the fact that no one has come forth and/or been detained in connection with the attack. However, officials speculate that the attack was intended to remind people of the presence of al-Qaeda in the region and a plan to injure and kill as many individuals as possible. Among the dead were several women and children, showing the attackers’ indiscriminate desire to incite terror and panic.