Iraqi court sentences 6 to death over 2015 bombing

By Hassan al-Amir

DIYALA, Iraq

An Iraqi court on Wednesday sentenced six people to death over a deadly car bombing that killed scores in the eastern Diyala province in 2015.

The Daesh terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack that targeted a marketplace in the province, killing 115 people and injuring scores.

In a statement, Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council said the convicts were responsible for a spate of attacks in Iraq, including the 2015 bombing.

Wednesday’s verdict was issued under Iraq’s anti-terrorism act, the council said.

The verdict is still subject to appeal.

In the summer of 2014, Daesh overran much of northern and western Iraq.

After a three-year war, the Iraqi government declared last year that Daesh's military presence in Iraq had been all but ended through operations backed by a U.S.-led international alliance.

From time to time, however, Iraqi officials announce operations against Daesh-affiliated "sleeper cells" in certain parts of the country.