Iraq Executes 3 Over 2016 Islamic State Group Bombing

Facts

• Iraq has reportedly hanged three people convicted for a 2016 bombing that was claimed by the Islamic State group (IS).¹
• The bombing, which killed more than 320 people in a Baghdad shopping district, was one of the deadliest terrorist acts globally since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US.²
• The car bombing on July 3, 2016, targeted a busy shopping area ahead of the Eid al-Fitr festival ending the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. The initial blast claimed a limited number of lives, but the resulting fire spread and trapped victims inside a shopping center that lacked emergency exits.³
• Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's office said that the executions were carried out on Sunday or Monday but did not name those executed. Government sources have said that Ghazwan al-Zawbaee, who is said to be the IS mastermind behind the attack was among those executed.⁴
• The UN estimated in March that IS still has "5,000 to 7,000 members and supporters" spread across Iraq and bordering Syria, "roughly half of whom are fighters." Some remaining cells affiliated with IS continue to target security forces and civilians in both countries, but the UN reports the group has been significantly diminished by "sustained counterterrorism operations."⁵
• IS overran large territories in northern and western Iraq in 2014 and advanced on Baghdad shortly after. At the time of the bombing in 2016, Iraqi forces had regained significant territory, and the bombing was seen as a reaction by IS.⁵

Sources: ¹CNA, ²I24news, ³Barrons, ⁴BBC News, and ⁵Al Jazeera.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Crime Museum. While the death penalty is highly contested, a serious punishment for heinous crimes like terrorism is still necessary. Terrorists like those who perpetrated the bombing in Baghdad in 2016, are among the most brutal and violent criminals, and their targeting of civilian men, women, and children, cannot be left unpunished.
• Narrative B, as provided by Death Penalty Information Center. The death penalty is not an effective deterrent against terrorism. The execution of terrorists goes beyond retribution or perceived justice and may create more issues than life in prison would. By killing these criminals, Iraq risks turning them into martyrs that can be used for the public relations and fundraising strategies of extremist groups.