Iskandariya suicide bombing

On 25 March 2016, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device in a crowd gathered after a local football tournament in the village of al-Asriya, near Iskandariya in Iraq's Babil Governorate. The area is described as a mixed Sunni-Shiite community. The attack occurred as trophies were being presented to the winning team, with the bomber reportedly moving through the crowd toward the center of the gathering before detonating during the mayor's award presentation.

The bombing killed at least 41 people and wounded more than 105 others. Among those killed was Ahmed Shaker, the local mayor, who died of his wounds in a hospital after the blast. According to an Iraqi official cited in reporting on the attack, at least 17 boys between the ages of 10 and 16 were among the dead, reflecting that many victims were young spectators or participants connected to the football event.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. The group stated that its intended targets were members of the Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella of mostly Shiite militias that has fought alongside Iraqi security forces against the Islamic State.

In the aftermath, authorities in Babil Governorate declared three days of official mourning. The attack drew international condemnation. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who was visiting Iraq at the time of the bombing, condemned the attack. FIFA President Gianni Infantino remarked that "it is a very sad day, when people, going to a match together, become the victims of such violence." The Asian Football Confederation also issued a statement condemning the bombing, describing the use of football and sport stadiums "as a stage for these heinous acts of violence" as "a cowardly, completely unjust and indiscriminate act."