Sunday’s bombing in Baghdad came only two days after militants seized control of a trendy restaurant in Dhaka, Bangladesh, taking dozens hostage and ultimately killing 22 people. On Friday, a half-dozen attackers stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery in the diplomatic district of the capital, wielding explosives, guns and swords. In the ensuing 11-hour siege, the militants killed 20 diners from around the world, including nine Italians, seven Japanese, one Indian, two Bangladeshis and one U.S. citizen. Two police officers were later killed when the authorities raided the restaurant and killed five of the six attackers. Authorities say the six attackers were young men from Bangladesh’s elite, many of whom attended the country’s top schools. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack, although Bangladeshi officials say the men were part of local militant groups. On Monday, hundreds gathered in Dhaka to honor the victims.
Khushi Kabir: “We have gathered here today in grief, in anger, in solidarity, in protest of the gruesome killings of innocent people who had just gone to have dinner. This kind of an attack in a public place with innocent civilians, many of whom were our guests in our country, is something that is unacceptable to all people of this country.”