Members of Islamic State, who are Sunni Muslims and espouse a strict version of sharia, or Islamic law, believe Shiites must be killed. Jaf had survived a previous Islamic State attack in Karada in May of last year. Islamic State still holds sway over swaths of territory in Iraq’s north and west. The area is filled with stores that stay open into the night during Ramadan, and the area had been crowded with shoppers. The attack was claimed by Islamic State, and serves as a cruel reminder of the group’s ability to fight even as it loses ground in Iraq and Syria.

Source: Los Angeles Times July 03, 2016 21:42 UTC