BAGHDAD -- Twin suicide bombings ripped through a busy market Thursday in the Iraqi capital, killing at least 32 people and wounding dozens, officials said in what was the first bombing in years, echoing darker days of rampant militant attacks.
The rare suicide bombing hit the Bab al-Sharqi commercial area in central Baghdad as political tensions remain heightened over planned early elections and a severe economic crisis. Blood was splattered on the pavement of the busy market as survivors took stock of the disarray in the aftermath.
By sundown, crowds reappeared at the site of the deadly attack, carrying the coffins of the slain in a show of defiance. Many questioned the timing of the attack, which occurred a day after President Joe Biden was sworn into office. The U.S.-led coalition recently ceased combat activities and is gradually drawing down its troop presence in Iraq, sparking fears of a resurgence of the Islamic State group.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Iraqi military officials said it was the work of the Islamic State militants.
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Iraq's health minister Hassan Mohammed al-Tamimi said at least 32 people were killed and 110 were wounded in the attack. He said some of the wounded were in serious condition. Iraq's military previously put the number of dead at 28. The Health Ministry announced that all of its hospitals in the capital were mobilized to treat the wounded.
Maj. Gen. Tahsin al-Khafaji, spokesman for the joint operations command, which includes an array of Iraqi forces, said the first suicide bomber cried out loudly that he was ill in the middle of the bustling market, prompting a crowd to gather around him -- and that's when he detonated his explosive belt.
The second detonated his belt shortly after, he said.
"This is a terrorist act perpetrated by a sleeper cell of the Islamic State," al-Khafaji said. He said the Islamic State "wanted to prove its existence" after suffering many blows in military operations to root out the militants.
At the Vatican, Pope Francis denounced the attack in Baghdad as a "senseless act of brutality" and urged Iraqis to keep working to replace violence with fraternity and peace. The telegram of condolences sent to the Iraqi president was particularly heartfelt, given Francis is to visit Iraq in early March to encourage the country's Christian communities that have been devastated by Islamic State persecution.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the Baghdad attack and appealed to the Iraqi people "to reject any attempts to spread fear and violence aimed at undermining peace, stability and unity," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
The U.N. chief called on the government "to ensure that those behind these horrific crimes are swiftly identified and brought to justice," Dujarric said.
Thursday's twin suicide bombings marked the first in three years to target Baghdad's bustling commercial district. A suicide bomb attack took place in the same area in 2018 shortly after then-Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi declared victory over the Islamic State, a Sunni militant group.
Iraq has seen assaults perpetrated by both the Islamic State and mostly Shiite militia groups in recent months. Militias have routinely targeted the American presence in Iraq with rocket and mortar attacks, especially the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone. The pace of those attacks, however, has decreased since an informal truce was declared by Iran-backed armed groups in October.
The style of Thursday's assault was similar to those the Islamic State has conducted in the past. But the group has rarely been able to penetrate the capital since being dislodged by Iraqi forces and the U.S.-led coalition in 2017.
The twin bombings Thursday occurred days after Iraq's government unanimously agreed to hold early elections in October. Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi had announced in July that early polls would be held to meet the demands of anti-government protesters.
Information for this article was contributed by Murtada Faraj, Nicole Winfield and Edith M. Lederer of The Associated Press.
