Fury in Baghdad as Bomb Toll Hits 142

Iraqi authorities on Monday raised the death toll to 142 from Sunday's devastating truck bombing at a bustling Baghdad commercial street as Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered new security measures. The bombing, claimed by ISIS, was the deadliest terror attack in Iraq in a year and one of the worst single bombings in more than a decade of war and insurgency, the AP reports. It underscored the militants' ability to strike the Iraqi capital despite a string of battlefield losses elsewhere in the country and fueled public anger toward the political leadership. The suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden vehicle in Baghdad's mostly Shiite Karada district, a favorite avenue for shoppers—especially during the holy month of Ramadan, with the streets and sidewalks filled with young people and families after they had broken their daylight fast.

Police and health officials said Monday the toll stood at 142, with 185 wounded, but it is likely to increase even further as rescuers are still looking for missing people. Hours after the bombing, al-Abadi visited the attack site, but a furious mob surrounded his convoy, yelling expletives, hurling rocks and shoes at the prime minister's cars, and calling him a "thief." In a statement issued later Sunday, al-Abadi ordered that a scandal-ridden bomb detection device be pulled from service. He also demanded increased aerial scanning, a step-up in intelligence efforts, and the division of responsibility among various security units. (More Iraq stories.)