#BREAKING All ways towards #Baghdad al-Jadeeda area closed after Jawahir Mall explosions. #Iraq
ISIS has claimed responsibility for an attack on a mall in eastern Baghdad that left at least 18 people dead, the Associated Press reported.
Gunmen set off a carb bomb outside the mall — killing at least seven people, including two policemen — before storming the shopping center and fatally shooting five others, Reuters reported. The gunmen then detonated explosive vests, killing six more people.
Security officials said police took control of the mall and that there were no hostages, contradicting earlier media reports of several people being held inside the mall.
"The security forces are at the scene and managed to recover the wounded," Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier General Saad Maan told Reuters. "The situation is under control."
The attack occurred in the predominantly Shiite neighborhood of Baghdad Jadida.
In an online statement circulated by ISIS supporters, the group said it had targeted a gathering of "rejectionist heathens" — using the derogatory term for Shiite Muslims.
This is a developing story. Follow BuzzFeed News for updates.