Iraq has carried out the execution of three individuals convicted of their involvement in a devastating vehicle bombing that shook Baghdad in 2016, claiming the lives of more than 300 people and leaving hundreds injured. The tragic incident occurred during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and stood as the deadliest single bombing in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003.

The responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Islamic State group (IS), which, despite losing control of significant territory, remains an active and persistent threat.

The executions took place on either Sunday or Monday, as confirmed by the office of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. However, the identities of those executed were not disclosed. Nevertheless, a government source revealed to AFP news agency that Ghazwan al-Zawbaee, believed to be the mastermind behind the IS attack, was among those put to death. Zawbaee had been captured and subsequently returned to Iraq in 2021.

Prime Minister al-Sudani personally informed the families of the victims that "the rightful punishment of the death sentence" had been carried out against "three key criminals found guilty of their involvement in the terrorist bombing," his office stated.

The horrific attack on July 3, 2016, involved a vehicle packed with explosives detonating near a crowded shopping center in Karrada, a predominantly Shia Muslim area in the Iraqi capital. Tragically, many of the victims lost their lives due to a subsequent fire that engulfed the building after the initial blast.

In the aftermath of the devastating incident, Iraq's Interior Minister, Mohammed Ghabban, resigned from his post, while then-Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi pointedly accused Ghazwan al-Zawbaee of being the "primary culprit" not only behind this attack but also "many others."

The Islamic State, a Sunni Muslim extremist group, once controlled an extensive territory spanning 88,000 square kilometers (34,000 square miles) from eastern Iraq to western Syria. Under its brutal rule, almost eight million people endured oppressive conditions.

Despite its battlefield defeat in Iraq in 2017 and subsequent losses in Syria two years later, it is estimated that thousands of militants linked to IS remain active in both countries. In March, the United Nations estimated that IS still had "5,000 to 7,000 members and supporters" scattered across Iraq and neighboring Syria, with "roughly half of whom are fighters."

The recent executions underscore Iraq's commitment to pursuing justice for victims of terrorism and maintaining pressure on extremist elements that continue to threaten peace and stability in the region.