Shots fired at Dubai passenger plane at Baghdad Airport

A FlyDubai plane carrying 154 passengers came under fire on Monday while approaching Baghdad International Airport. The incident prompted the United Arab Emirates aviation authority to issue a ban on flights to the Iraqi capital, the Anadolu news agency has reported.

The director of Baghdad International, Hussein Karim, confirmed that the aircraft was hit by bullets just beyond the airport perimeter while coming in to land. The plane landed safely, he added, but he did not disclose the exact location of the shooting or who is suspected of firing the shots.

Daily bombings occur in the Iraqi capital in which many people are killed and wounded, most of them civilians. Government officials say that militant groups affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS) are responsible for the attacks, an accusation that has been affirmed by the group. ISIS and its associates have increased their offensive capabilities after taking control of large swathes of land in the north and west of Iraq since last summer.