Bombings Kill Scores In Baghdad

At least 119 people have been killed and nearly 190 people injured in suicide car bombing claimed by the Islamic State (IS) extremist group in a crowded Baghdad shopping center, Iraqi police say.

The blast hit the central Karrada district in the early hours of July 3 when hundreds of people were out on the streets after breaking their dawn-to-dusk fast for the holy Islamic month of Ramadan.

Officials said most of the victims -- including many women and children -- were inside a multistory shopping and amusement mall, where dozens burned to death or suffocated.

The bombing in Karrada, a mainly Shi'ite area, is the deadliest in Iraq this year.

A second bomb also exploded at about midnight in Baghdad’s northern Shaab area, killing another five people.

The White House condemned the bombings, saying the attacks only strengthened the United States' resolve to confront IS.

"We remain united with the Iraqi people and government in our combined efforts to destroy ISIL," a White House statement said, referring to IS.

The U.S. State Department extended condolences to the victims of the two bombings and condemned acts of extremist violence.

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa, and the BBC