In July 2016, a massive explosion rocked the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, resulting in the deaths of around 360 civilians in the Karradah area in central Baghdad. This bombing, considered one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in Iraq since 2003, remains vivid in the memories of the Iraqi people. Today, with exclusive images for Al Arabiya.net, we will unveil details about the planners of this bombing more than six years after it occurred.
The Iraqi National Intelligence Service, based on orders from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, successfully arrested "Abu Obaida Baghdad," one of the planners of this bombing and several others that shook Baghdad and other cities, in a special operation outside Iraqi borders.
Al-Kadhimi tweeted after the arrest of Al-Zubaie: "No right is lost as long as there are demanders." He stated, "After more than five years since the crime of the Karradah bombing that shattered the hearts of Iraqis, our heroic forces succeeded, after complex intelligence tracking outside Iraq, in arresting the terrorist Ghazwan Al-Zubaie responsible for this crime and other crimes." He emphasized that "holding accountable those involved in the blood of the sons of Iraq is a national duty that we will not deviate from." Al-Kadhimi also revealed a competition to create a monument commemorating the victims of the Karradah bombing as part of honoring the sacrifices of Iraq.
Abu Obaida Reveals the Bombing Method and the Perpetrator
"Abu Obaida Baghdad" (Ghazwan Ali Hussein) worked during his time with the organization alongside prominent first-tier figures, including the Baghdad Emir "Abu Jaafar," who was killed by security forces. He then worked with "Abu Thabit," who succeeded "Abu Jaafar," and also collaborated with Baghdad security leader "Abu Islam," who planned the bombing in Karradah just days before Eid al-Fitr.
"Abu Obaida" revealed the method of bomb-making that led to such a massive explosion and the identity of the suicide attacker. In a statement to Al Arabiya.net, he confirmed that Abu Hammam Al-Iraqi was the one who carried out the Karradah bombing using a Starex vehicle and a new method of bomb-making by placing tank armor mines on the sides of the vehicle to maximize the death toll among those present in the Al-Layth complex in Karradah.
Loss of Five Sons in the Explosion
The image of the terrorist explosion remains etched in the minds of Karradah residents, among them Umm Hammam, who lost five sons in this blast and confronted the terrorist Abu Obaida face-to-face while holding pictures of her fallen family due to the Karradah explosion. She confirmed to Al Arabiya.net that her only demand is the execution of the accused and revenge for the victims of the attack. Umm Hussein, who lost her son in the Karradah bombing during her encounter with Abu Obaida Baghdad, screamed, saying, "Why did you kill the youth of Karradah? What was their sin? Where will you go from God? Why did you kill our children while they were fasting?"
This bloody explosion did not prevent "Abu Obaida" and his terrorist cell from continuing their operations in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities, where he disclosed his oversight of operations to bomb the "Qaqaa" drink shop in the Al-Jadriya area, as well as targeting several visitors, in addition to the bombing of the General Retirement Authority in the Al-Shawaka area in the heart of the capital.
These attacks resulted in hundreds of casualties and are remembered annually, especially the Karradah bombing, for which some victims' bodies remain unidentified. In May 2007, he pledged allegiance to the "Islamic State of Iraq" in the Baghdad province and worked as a soldier in a military detachment targeting US forces present, leading to his arrest by security forces by the end of that year and being placed in the Kroubar juvenile prison, from which he was released by the end of 2008.
Sources confirmed to Al Arabiya.net that Abu Obaida escaped from Abu Ghraib prison in mid-2013 and joined the Anbar desert with fleeing terrorists, receiving military and legal training before being transferred along with a group to the Hamrin Mountains to operate within the (Kirkuk and Nineveh province).
