Baghdad bombing death toll hits 250, Iraq's interior minister resigns

Iraq's interior minister resigned on Tuesday and said a deputy would take over his responsibilities, a few days after the deadliest of many car bombings in Baghdad since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

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MohammedGhabbanmade the announcement at a news conference in Baghdad, a video of which was posted on hisFacebookpage.

His resignation will be official only if Prime MinisterHaiderAl-Abadiapproves it.Abadi'soffice had no immediate comment.

The death toll from a massive suicide bombing in Baghdad's central shopping district ofKarradaon Saturday has reached 250, Iraq's Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

It was the worst single car bomb attack in Iraq since U.S. forces toppled Saddam Hussein 13years ago, and itdeepened the anger of many Iraqis over the weak performance of the security apparatus.

Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)militants, who government forces are trying to eject from large swathes of northern and western territory seized in 2014, claimed responsibility for the bombing.

The attack showed ISIS remains capable of ad-hoc attacks causing major loss of life despite losing considerable ground on the battlefield, most recently the city of Falluja, an hour's drive west of the capital.

The interior minister said that the explosive-packed vehicle came from the eastern province of Diyala, blaming a lack of communicating between multiple forces in charge of the capital's security.

Ghabban told Reuters in an interview last month that a recent spate of ISIS bombings in Baghdad would not end unless "disorder" plaguing Iraq's security apparatus was rectified.

He said then that security forces outside his control including units reporting to two counter-terrorism agencies, two Defence Ministry directorates and regional security commands overlap with his ministry's own counter-intelligence efforts.