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2016 Samawa bombing

On 1 May 2016, twin suicide car bombings struck the city of Samawa in southern Iraq, killing at least 33 people and wounding 75. The Islamic State claimed responsibility.

SOLVED2016

Samawa, Al Muthanna Governorate, Iraq

3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
IraqAlMuthanna
IraqAlMuthanna — Credit: CC BY-SA 3.0

On 1 May 2016, twin suicide car bombs exploded in the city of Samawa, located in Iraq's deep Shiite south, an area where such attacks were considered rare at the time. The first blast occurred near a local government building, with a second explosion following roughly 65 yards away at a bus station. Police sources cited in the reporting indicated the death toll and number of wounded were expected to continue rising in the immediate aftermath.

The attacks killed at least 33 people and wounded 75 others. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the bombings. The individuals identified as the bombers were named as Abu Dayyar al-Qurashi and Abu Zubayr al-Zaidi.

The bombing occurred amid a period of continued violence in Iraq, with the Samawa attack singled out as notable in part because of its location — a predominantly Shiite region in southern Iraq that had experienced comparatively fewer such incidents than other parts of the country.

Key facts

Victims
On file
Date
2016
Location
Samawa, Al Muthanna Governorate, Iraq
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2016-05-01

    Twin suicide car bombs detonate in Samawa, Iraq — the first near a local government building, the second approximately 65 yards away at a bus station.

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People

  • Abu Zubayr al-Zaidi

    CHARGED

    Named as one of the two suicide bombers who carried out the attack; deceased at the time of the bombing, per the source article. No formal charges or judicial proceedings are documented in available sources.

  • Abu Dayyar al-Qurashi

    CHARGED

    Named as one of the two suicide bombers who carried out the attack; deceased at the time of the bombing, per the source article. No formal charges or judicial proceedings are documented in available sources.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Archival records

  • IraqAlMuthanna

    other document

    IraqAlMuthanna

    Credit: CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

Places

Samawa, Al Muthanna Governorate, Iraq

31.3234, 45.2803

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On 1 May 2016, twin suicide car bombings struck the city of Samawa in southern Iraq, killing at least 33 people and wounding 75. The Islamic State claimed responsibility.
Where did the bombing happen?
Samawa, Al Muthanna Governorate, Iraq.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Iraq

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDIC2016 Samawa bombingWikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — NBC NewsNBC News · 2026-07-07
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — yahoo.comyahoo.com · 2026-07-07

Record history

First published
JUL 07, 2026

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