BAGHDAD — Moments after jubilant Iraqi troops were captured on videotape Sunday shouting, “Where is terrorism now?” three soldiers threw themselves on an attacker just before he detonated an explosives vest. Iraqi police said at least 11 people were killed in the blast, the deadliest in a series of bombings in Baghdad.
It was the worst of several attacks Sunday that targeted military members celebrating Army Day, the 87th anniversary of the army’s founding, and people enjoying the holiday.
A group that promotes unity in Iraq held the celebration inside Karrada, one of Baghdad’s safest neighborhoods, home to Sunnis, Shiites and Christians.
Associated Press photographer Hadi Mizban told the wire service he was about 5 yards away from the suicide attacker when he blew himself up.
“The blast happened as civilians were giving flowers to soldiers and sticking them in the muzzles of their guns,” recalled Mizban, an Iraqi. “It was a jubilant scene.”
Afterward, he said, the street was littered with bodies, weapons and shoes. Dazed soldiers and policemen carried their bloodied colleagues to nearby pickup trucks that whisked them to a hospital.
“There was a severed head on the street, and some of the soldiers that I was photographing earlier were dead. Those who survived panicked, pulling back from the scene and shooting in the air,” said Mizban.
Among the dead were four police officers, three Iraqi soldiers and four civilians, a police officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. At least 17 people were injured.
Elsewhere, in the northern city of Mosul, three coordinated explosions targeted two Christian churches and a convent, local officials and the U.S. military said. There were no deaths, but four people were wounded.
“They are cowards,” a priest told The Associated Press, refusing to give his name because he feared for his safety.
Despite an overall decline in violence in recent months, several high-profile bombings recently have rocked the city. On Dec. 28, a suicide bomber struck Tayaran Square, a popular outdoor marketplace, killing 10 people. On New Year’s Day, a bomber infiltrated a funeral, killing at least 34 people.
McClatchy Newspapers and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
