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BAGHDAD — A suicide bomber set off an explosive-laden vest in a busy Baghdad square crowded with rush-hour commuters early yesterday, killing at least 18 people and wounding dozens, officials said.The attack took place in Adan Square, in a predominantly Shi’ite part of the capital, and appeared to be the latest in a near-daily string of attacks carried out by Sunni Islamic extremists targeting the country’s Shi’ite majority.
A police officer provided the death toll and said 45 other people were wounded. A medical official confirmed the casualty figures. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to brief the media.
The attack came two days after Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi lifted a midnight to 05:00 curfew in the capital that had been in place in various forms since 2004, when Iraq was engulfed in violence following the US-led invasion the year before.
The government has struggled to impose security following the 2011 withdrawal of US forces. Last summer ISIS, which has claimed several previous attacks in and around the capital, swept across a third of the country, capturing the second largest city Mosul. A US-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against the extremist group since August. — AP.
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