ISIS bombs Real Madrid fans cafe in Iraq, kills 16 and injures 25

Shooting and bomb attacks claimed by Islamic State killed at least 16 people in northern Iraq on Friday, days after Islamic State’s deadliest blasts so far this year in the capital stirred public criticism of government security measures.

Three gunmen opened fire with machine guns around midnight at a cafe in the predominately Shi’ite Muslim town of Balad where young men had gathered to start the weekend, police and hospital sources. At least 16 were killed and 25 wounded. Many were believed to fans of Spanish football club Real Madrid.

The assailants fled and hours later one of them set off his explosive vest at a nearby vegetable market after police and Shi’ite militia members cornered him in a disused building and exchanged gunfire, security sources said. Four were killed and two critically wounded, medical sources added.
People gather at a cafe after an attack in Balad, Iraq, where at least 12 were killed, including fans of Real Madrid.

Islamic State said in a statement distributed online by supporters that three suicide attackers targeting Shi’ite militiamen had detonated their explosives, though security sources said they had only identified one bomber.