Masterminds of deadly Diyala explosion to be executed on bombing site

BAGHDAD—An Iraqi military commander said that the planners of a deadly bombing in Diyala earlier this month would be executed on the site of the attack, adding that some security officers were also behind the bombing.

“Investigations into the Khan Bani Saad bombing showed that an officer at a checkpoint had betrayed and let the truck bomb pass through,” said Abdul Amir Zaidi, commander of the Dijla Operation forces in a press conference on Saturday.

Zaidi said that families of the victims have asked for the masterminds to be executed on the site of bombing and that “after gaining official consent the execution will be upheld there.”

On July 18, a deadly bomb struck a busy market in the town of Khan Bani Saad in Diyala province, killing at least 115 people and wounding dozens more.

The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack.

Zaidi said that his forces have arrested a number of people suspected of planning the bombing as well as members of the police force charged with negligence.

A day after the bombing Muhammad Salim Ghaban, Iraq’s interior minister announced that several security officers were taken to custody for their part in the attack.