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Militias call for revenge against Sunni town over suicide attacks in Baghdad

The suicide attack on the Shiite-dominated Sadr City district of Baghdad on July 19 that killed at least 35 people has led some pro-Iran militias to demand vengeance against Sunnis near Baghdad.

Iraqis attend a funeral for an Iraqi family killed in an explosion a day earlier in a popular market in the Shiite-majority Sadr City neighborhood, east of the capital, Baghdad, on July 20, 2021.
Iraqis attend a funeral for an Iraqi family killed in an explosion a day earlier in a popular market in the Shiite-majority Sadr City neighborhood, east of the capital, Baghdad, on July 20, 2021. — HMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images

Shortly after a suicide bombing in Baghdad’s eastern Shia-dominant, largely poverty-stricken neighborhood of Sadr City on July 19, speculation ran rife that the attack originated from a Sunni-majority town roughly 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of the Iraqi capital.

Concerns about the potential for rekindling sectarianism were raised. An Arabic hashtag that translated as “Tarmiya is blowing us up” placed blame on the Sunni-majority town and surrounding area north of Baghdad, rich in agriculture, orchards and dense vegetation.

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