10 killed as hostages taken in Baghdad mall

Gunmen set off a car bomb at the entrance to a mall in mainly Shia eastern Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 10 people and wounding 25 as the attackers raced inside and took hostages, Iraqi officials said.

The police and medical officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief reporters, estimated that 50-75 people were trapped inside the Jawhara mall.

Gunmen blew up a car bomb, sprayed gunfire in a crowded area and took hostages in the shopping mall in eastern Baghdad Monday.

The gunmen were still holed up in the shopping centre in Baghdad al-Jadida, a police colonel said, adding that it was feared the attackers were wearing suicide belts.

“They are inside the Zahrat Baghdad mall. When the security forces got too close, they killed three hostages,” a police official said.

“We are taking a cautious approach now. We want this attack to end with the lowest possible number of casualties,” the official said.

He described the mall as a building of four or five floors in a busy commercial area of Baghdad al-Jadida, a populous Shiite-majority area on the eastern edge of the Iraqi capital.

A large plume of black smoke could be seen billowing into the sky above the area where the mall is located. An interior ministry source said an unspecified number of gunmen opened fire in the street after a car bomb exploded and briefly clashed with members of the security forces before entering the mall. “They completely control the mall right now, they have men on the roof,” the official said.

The police said a counter-terrorism force from the intelligence services was on the scene and snipers posted on buildings around the mall.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.