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No time safe: A look at bloody attacks around the world this Ramzan
The attacks, most linked to the Islamic State group, were carried out by organised groups while some were lone wolf attacks.
A series of attacks has killed nearly 350 people in eight countries during the holy month of Ramzan. The attacks, most linked to the Islamic State group, were carried out by organised groups while some were lone wolf attacks. On May 22, an audio message purportedly from the group’s spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani called for attacks against American and European targets. A spate of attacks followed.
Here’s a rundown of terror strikes in what was one of the bloodiest Ramzan periods in recent memory.
Islamic State
June 27 (al-Qaa, Lebanon): At least five people were killed in two series of suicide bombings on a predominantly Christian village in northeastern Lebanon.
June 28 (Mukalla, Yemen): A series of suicide bombings killed at least 38 Yemeni soldiers in the country’s southeast, just as they were about to break their fast.
July 2 (Baghdad, Iraq): More than 210 people were killed when a refrigerator van packed with explosives exploded in a busy shopping centre in the Iraq capital. It was the deadliest single attack in Baghdad in years.
Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen
July 1 (Dhaka, Bangladesh): Twenty hostages, including an Indian, were killed when six gunmen entered the Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan, a diplomatic zone in the Bangladeshi capital. Five militants were killed and one was arrested alive when commandos stormed the building, ending after a 10-hour siege.
Responsibility yet unclear
June 28 (Atatürk Airport, Istanbul, Turkey): Three gunmen opened fire at the airport while shouting “Allahu Akbar!” (God is Great!). Shortly afterwards, each of them detonated their suicide belts, killing 45 people, including 13 foreigners, and injuring 238 others
Attackers pledging allegiance to Islamic State
June 8 (Tel Aviv, Israel): Four Israelis were killed in a shooting rampage at a busy market in the Israeli city. Israel’s Shin Bet security service said the two Palestinian cousins accused of the shootings were inspired by the IS
Lone wolf
June 12 (Orlando, United States): American-born Omar Mateen, 29, gunned down 49 people at a gay nightclub in the city, the deadliest mass shooting in the United States and the nation’s worst terror attack since 9/11.
