A 12-year-old Melbourne girl has been confirmed among the victims of a car bombing outside an ice-cream shop in Baghdad, which took at least 16 lives and injured more.
Zynab AlHarbiya was visiting the Iraqi capital to visit her ill grandfather when the blast occurred on Monday night. She was in Year 7 at Broadmeadows’ Sirius College.
Zynab was with her mother at the time of the incident. Her condition is currently unknown.
#breaking moment of blast that targeted a busy #baghdad district tonight , you can see the heavy traffic, it was an ice cream shop #iraq pic.twitter.com/d0rBRq5CFI
— Steven nabil (@thestevennabil) May 29, 2017
Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, with the group claiming the attacks were intended to target members of Iraq’s Shi’ite Muslim majority.
It is believed the attack was planned to target those observing Ramadan, who would be more likely to visit an ice-cream parlour after sundown.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed it is conducting an investigation into the incident.
Source: 9 News / USA Today.
Photo: @thestevennabil / Twitter.
