It has been reported earlier that at least seven people were killed as gunmen took hostages in Baghdad; local police told Sputnik that armed men stormed the shopping mall and started shooting people.
#BREAKNG Baghdad mall attack over, at least 12 dead, officials say
— AFP news agency (@AFP) 11 января 2016
The sources also told Sputnik that two cars exploded near the shopping mall. The armed men have also reportedly set a number of shops on fire.
The officials estimate that 50-75 people may be trapped in the mall.
Daesh ciaims repsonsibility for the attacks on a shopping complex in eastern Baghdad, according to Reuters.
This video appears to show the aftermath of the explosion:
عاجل | لحظة انفجارالمفخختين في منطقة #بغداد_الجديدة
Posted by قناة سامراء الفضائية Samarra Tv on Monday, 11 January 2016
The area is cordoned off by Iraqi security forces. This is a big shopping center in a busy commercial spot of Baghdad al-Jadida, a populous Shiite-majority area on the eastern edge of the Iraqi capital.
