The 1 February 2008 Baghdad bombings occurred on 1 February 2008, when two suicide bombings occurred in

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon. I ...

, the capital of

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

. The blasts killed 98 people and injured over 200 others.

Details

The two blasts were shortly before the call to Friday prayers when many Iraqis were shopping or meeting with friends.BBC News: Twin bombs kill scores in Baghdad
1 February 2008 Initial reports were that both women had

Down Syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

, based on the analysis of their intact heads. But later reports were less clear on the issue, saying that the women had depression and

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social wit ...

and it was unknown whether they had a condition that made them unable to understand what they were doing. The acting director of the al-Rashad psychiatric hospital, Dr. Sahi Aboub, was arrested in connection with the attack on 10 February. It has been reported that Dr Aboub is a

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mo ...

Muslim and that the al Rashad hospital is run by the Shia

Mehdi Army The Peace Companies ( ar, سرايا السلام, or Saraya al Salam) are an Iraqi armed group linked to Iraq's Shia community. They are a 2014 revival of the Mahdi Army ( ''Jaysh al-Mahdī'') that was created by the Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada a ...

. However, the attacks occurred in primarily

areas of Baghdad.

Reactions

* : Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said the use of disabled people underlined the "terrorists' moral degradation".Iraq market bombs toll nears 100
BBC News: 2 February 2008

References

External links

BBC News: In pictures: Baghdad market blasts

BBC News: Eyewitness: Iraqi markets blown to bits
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baghdad bombings, 2008-02-01 2008 murders in Iraq Suicide bombings in Baghdad Mass murder in 2008 Baghdad bombings, 1 February 2000s in Baghdad Violence against Shia Muslims in Iraq Terrorist incidents in Baghdad February 2008 events in Iraq February 2008 crimes