ISIS Strikes Back: Twin Bombs Kill 115

Iraqi officials say the death toll from the car bomb attack claimed by the Islamic State group in central Baghdad has climbed to at least 115, reports the AP. Hospital and police officials said Sunday that another 187 people were wounded in the overnight attack, and nearly a dozen people remain unaccounted for and feared dead. A second bomb attack in eastern Baghdad early Sunday killed five people and wounded 16. The bombings demonstrated the extremists' ability to mount significant attacks despite major battlefield losses, including the city of Fallujah, which was declared "fully liberated" from ISIS just over a week ago.

The bombings targeted families and young people out at restaurants, cafes, and in shopping malls after breaking their dawn-to-dusk Ramadan fast. "It was like an earthquake," Karim Sami, a 35-year-old street vendor, tells the AP. "I wrapped up my goods and was heading home when I saw a fire ball with a thunderous bombing. I was so scared to go back and started to make phone calls to my friends, but none answered," the father of three added. In an online statement, ISIS claimed responsibility for the Sunday morning attack, which it said targeted Shiites. The statement could not be independently verified, but was posted to a website frequently used by the militant group.