According to the Iraqi authorities, a motorbike with explosives is said to have caused the attack in the southern city. Several people are dead and seriously injured

Explosion rocks the centre of Basra

photo_camera REUTERS/MOHAMMED ATY - Iraqi security forces inspect the site of an explosion in Basra,Iraq 7 December 2021

Terrorism remains one of Iraq's main threats. The latest violent episode took place in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. According to the national authorities, a motorbike with explosives set off a powerful explosion near the Al-Jumhouri Hospital in the centre of the city.

The governor of Basra, Asaad al-Eidani, has already confirmed the death of eight civilians, although the number is likely to rise as the hours go by, as many of the victims are seriously injured. Security forces are investigating the incident. "Forensic experts and specialised technical teams are still present at the scene of the explosion to determine its nature and give more details about the nature of the accident," said Saad Maan, head of Security Media Cell, a media outlet close to the Iraqi security forces. "Further details will be announced in a later statement after the completion of investigations and technical reports," he added. 

AP/NABIL AL-JURANI

Although no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, al-Eidani said the blast "bears the fingerprints of Daesh". In the south of the country, such explosions have been rare in recent years. The region is one of the country's main oil-producing areas and has a large number of Shi'a citizens. However, in northern Iraq, the terrorist group has organised several attacks against Kurdish pershmergas in recent weeks.

Daesh was officially defeated in Iraq at the end of 2017. However, over the years, the terrorists have managed to reorganise themselves and once again spread panic in the country. One of the most violent attacks in Iraq occurred last July in the Shiite neighbourhood of Sadr City in Baghdad. Thirty-five people were killed and more than 60 injured when a homemade bomb exploded. Then, in September, 13 policemen were killed near Kirkuk in an attack by the jihadist organisation. "The organisation's cells are active in the region around Kirkuk due to the absence of air and military support," a police source told the AFP news agency at the time.  

AP/NABIL AL-JURANI

A Daesh cell in Iraq also masterminded an attack in October on "defenceless civilians" in the town of Al-Hawasha, near Muqdadiya in central Iraq. Eleven people were killed in the attack, all of them civilians. Iraqi President Barham Salih condemned the attack as a "despicable attempt to destabilise the country". He said the authorities need to strengthen security and address security gaps. He also called for "not underestimating the threat" posed by Daesh

Clashes intensify between Peshmerga and terrorists  

Iraqi Kurdistan is currently the region that is suffering the most from terrorist attacks. "The proliferation of Daesh atrocities is a new and frightening message, and poses a serious threat to the region. Therefore, there is an urgent need for greater cooperation and coordination between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi army with the support of international allied forces," stated Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region. 

AP/NABIL AL-JURANI

In recent days, Kurdish fighters and terrorists have clashed over control of Luhaiban, a village in northern Iraq. The Pershmerga have finally recaptured it, although Daesh militiamen have left some booby traps such as houses with explosives.

In the midst of this desperate situation, thousands of Iraqi Kurds have chosen to leave their homes in search of a better life. For this reason, a large number of the people trapped on the border between Belarus and Poland come from this region of the Middle East. Also, most of the victims of the recent accident in the Canal de la Mancha were of Kurdish origin. 

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