US Condemns Iraq Attacks That Killed 46

The United States condemned a series of attacks Monday in Iraq that killed at least 46 people and wounded more than 100 others.

Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for the two largest attacks, saying they were targeting Shi’ites.

Gunmen fired at shoppers before blowing themselves up at a Baghdad shopping mall, killing at least 18 people.  In Muqdadiyah, about 90 kilometers north of the capital, a double suicide bombing killed at least 23 people.

U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby called the attacks «barbaric acts of terrorism» and reiterated U.S. commitment to supporting Iraq in defeating the militants.

«These attacks once again display the utter disregard ISIL has for the lives of innocent civilians,» he said using an acronym for Islamic State.  «We stand united with the Iraqi people as they confront the scourge of violent extremism.»

Late Monday, a car bomb blew up at a market in southeastern Baghdad, killing at least five people.

Iraqi forces, backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, are working to reclaim territory Islamic State seized after sweeping through large areas of western and northern Iraq in mid-2014.  Last month, they recaptured Ramadi and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the next focus would be Mosul, the country’s second largest city.

People gather in front of the mall in Baghdad, Iraq, on Jan. 11, 2016. Gunmen stormed into the mall Monday, spraying bullets at shoppers before blowing themselves up.