Military spokesman says technical failure caused aircraft to malfunction and drop bomb, which hit houses in New Baghdad district of capital

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

An Iraqi fighter jet accidentally dropped a bomb over a Baghdad neighbourhood on Monday, killing at least 12 people on the ground, Iraqi officials said.

The plane – one of several Sukhois used by Iraq in the fight against Islamic State – was returning to base when the accident happened.

A military spokesman said a technical failure caused the Sukhoi jet to malfunction and drop the bomb, which struck houses in the Iraqi capital’s eastern neighbourhood of New Baghdad.

Three children and two women were among those killed; at least 25 others were wounded.

Associated Press footage shows rescue teams in orange jumpsuits and blue helmets searching through the rubble for victims. At least one victim was seen wrapped with a blanket and being taken to an ambulance.



Iraq is experiencing its worst crisis since the 2011 withdrawal of US troops. Isis is in control of large swaths of the country’s territory in the north and the west following a blitz last year when the Sunni militants captured Iraq’s second-largest city of Mosul and the majority of the western Anbar province.