A pair of Islamic State suicide bombings around Baghdad have left at least 27 people dead. The blasts came as US-backed Iraqi forces press ahead with an assault on the IS stronghold of Fallujah.
Image: Reuters/K. al Mousily
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At least 15 civilians were killed in the commercial section of the predominantly Shiite neighborhood of al-Jadida in eastern Baghdad. Twelve more - seven civilians and five troops - were killed at an army checkpoint 12 miles (20 km) north of the city, in Taji, according to police and medical workers.
"Islamic State" (IS), the Sunni denominated militants, claimed responsibility for both bombings, saying the Baghdad attack targeted Shiite militia members while the Taji bombing targeted the Iraqi arm.
The veracity of the claims could not immediately be confirmed, but they appeared on a website often used by militants.
The Sunni militant group often targets Iraq's Shiite majority, as well as security forces and government officials.
The deadly attacks in and around the capital are seen as an attempt by the jihadis to distract Iraqi security forces from the fighting on the front lines - now in Fallujah.
Battles continue in Fallujah, Manbij
The Iraqi army launched a large-scale military assault on Fallujah last month, and their attack was bolstered yesterday by the addition of Iraqi special forces.
Iraq: the battle for Fallujah shifts to city centre
A persecuted minority finds refuge in the shadow of Mt. Olympus
Yazidis who fled from "Islamic State" in Iraq have found shelter in Petra, a new camp established in early April specifically for refugees belonging to the Kurdish religious community. Jodi Hilton reports from Greece.
Image: Jodi Hilton
A remote camp, high in the hills
Hundreds of Yazidis who fled Iraq and "Islamic State" have found themselves stuck in Greece. Many from the Kurdish religious community agreed to be moved from Idomeni border camp, population about 12,000, to Petra. "We came here escape the problems at Idomeni," said community leader Tarik Ibrahim. Tensions had been running high at the overfilled camp.
Image: Jodi Hilton
Survivors in limbo
Nine hundred and sixty Yazidis have settled in Petra, which is meant to accommodate the survivors of the 2014 "Yazidi genocide," when 'Islamic State" fighters pushed through the region of Shengal, executing men and taking women, children and elderly people as prisoners.
Image: Jodi Hilton
Safety abroad
Kemal Shamo, 22, said his family had been split apart by the conflict and is now spread between Turkey, Germany, Greece and Iraq. Yazidis do not feel safe in Iraqi Kurdistan, he told DW, adding that Kurdish peshmerga fighters abandoned their positions when IS swept through Yazidi villages in 2014. "They left us with IS and now we can't trust them."
Image: Jodi Hilton
Yet another refugee camp
A Yazidi man carries a mattress found inside an abandoned hospital on the camp's premises. Since the camp was established, the new inhabitants have been working tirelessly to reinforce tents and create comfortable spaces. Many said they had already been living in refugee camps for years before arriving in Greece.
Image: Jodi Hilton
Short on supplies
Women line up to receive diapers and other necessities. The NGO CYCI has spearheaded efforts to establish and supply the camp. "We told the Greek government that we have many people that need to be moved to a safe place," said Vanessa Kunitz of CYCI. "Every day we bring something like Pampers and strollers."
Image: Jodi Hilton
Kids' camp
Children make up nearly half the camp's population. In many cases, father and brothers traveled ahead of the rest of the family and arrived in western Europe before the borders closed, leaving many women and children behind.
Image: Jodi Hilton
Risky games
Children bide their time playing on an industrial lift parked at Petra Camp, adjacent to the abandoned hospital.
Image: Jodi Hilton
Room with a view
Yazidi men sit in the shade of a military tent on the premises of Petra Camp, where they have a view of the surrounding countryside and down to the sea. "We have no hope," said Kemal Shamo.