BAGHDAD: A bomb killed four people in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on Tuesday, the first such attack in years in a part of the country that has enjoyed relative stability, and a senior official said Daesh militants were suspected of carrying it out.
The blast, near a major hospital in the city, was caused by a motorbike rigged with explosives, the military said in a statement, citing preliminary information.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
“The blast carries fingerprints of Daesh,” Basra Governor Asaad al-Edani told reporters.
Bomb attacks in the Basra area have been rare — the last major one was in 2017 and claimed by Daesh. The authorities have kept a tight grip on the area where the bulk of the OPEC member’s oil is produced and exported.
