Baghdad bomb blast leaves 13 people dead, 24 others hurt

Baghdad: At least 13 people were killed and 24 others injured after a car bomb exploded near a popular ice cream shop in Baghdad early Tuesday morning, hospital and police officials said.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, which Iraqi officials said involved apparently remotely detonated explosives inside a parked car.

The attack came just days into the holy month of Ramadan when Muslims fast during daylight hours. After sundown, families break their fast and Baghdad's restaurants and cafes quickly fill up.

Officials said the bombing was specifically targeted toward the popular ice cream shop in the central part of Iraq’s capital.

ISIS has previously taken credit for similar attacks in the past. A large truck bombing during Ramadan killed hundreds of people in 2016. It marked the deadliest attack since Saddam Hussein was toppled in 2003.

Monday's attack comes as Iraqi troops continue to push ISIS fighters out of their final strongholds in the northern city of Mosul.

Iraqi commanders say the offensive, which recently entered its eighth month, will mark the end of the ISIS caliphate in Iraq, but concede the group will likely increase insurgent attacks as military defeats add up.