Baghdad mall attack: 12 dead

Baghdad mall attack: 12 dead

Baghdad: An attack on a mall in Baghdad Monday, 11^th January 2016, that left at least 12 people dead has ended, Iraqi security and medical sources said. “The security forces are now fully in control, the gunmen have been killed and the hostages have been freed,” a senior police officer said.

According to police, gunmen blew up a car bomb, sprayed gunfire in a crowded area and took hostages in a shopping mall in eastern Baghdad killing at least 12 people.

A hospital official confirmed the death toll and said at least 36 people were also wounded during the attack in the Baghdad al-Jadida neighbourhood.

"They are inside the Zahrat Baghdad mall. When the security forces got too close, they killed three hostages," a police official said.

"We are taking a cautious approach now. We want this attack to end with the lowest possible number of casualties," he added.

He described the mall as a building of four or five floors in a busy commercial area of Baghdad al-Jadida, a populous Shia-majority area on the eastern edge of the Iraqi capital.