Iraqi interior minister quits after fatal Baghdad bomb attacks

Iraq’s Interior Minister Mohammed al-Ghabban has stepped down from his position following one of the deadliest ever bombings in the Arab country claimed by the Takfiri Daesh terrorists group.

According to the reports, Ghabban made the announcement at a press conference in the capital, Baghdad, on Tuesday, saying, "I placed my resignation before the prime minister, [Haider al-Abadi].”

On Sunday, a vehicle packed with explosives was detonated in Baghdad’s Shia neighborhood of Karrada while families were shopping for Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Security and medical officials said the attack left at least 213 people dead and more than 200 others wounded.

On the same day, the second explosion occurred at an outdoor market in the Shaab neighborhood of southeastern Baghdad, killing two people.

In a twitter post, Daesh claimed responsibility for the assaults which, it said, were aimed at Shia neighborhoods.

Elsewhere in his Tuesday comments, Ghabban said that the Iraqi government has failed to arrange and organize the activities of the country’s security and intelligence administrations.

Describing checkpoints throughout the capital as "absolutely useless,” he noted that the car bomb came from the eastern province of Diyala and likely successfully navigated a security checkpoint on its way to Baghdad.

After the deadly twin bomb blasts, Abadi announced measures to address security flaws in the capital, including scrapping fake detectors, accelerated installing of scanning devices at entrances to Baghdad, and increased aerial reconnaissance and coordination among security forces.

SS