Iraqi Americans in Metro Detroit mourn Baghdad bombing victims

(WJBK) - It was an emotional night for many Iraqi Americans who gathered in Sterling Heights to honor the victims of the horrific bombing in Baghdad.

Close to 300 people killed in Baghdad last week when a suicide truck bomb ripped through a busy shopping district.

They held up posters with photos of the dead.

"We are praying for them, we're going to cry. We are crying for them -- every day we are crying," said rally organizer Nidhal Garmo.

It was the deadliest attack in Iraq since July 2015 and among the worst single bombings in more then a decade of war and insurgency.

"It was planned by somebody, but who is that person? We do need the American government to help us," Garmo said.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had targeted Shiite Muslims.

"We condemned Sudam Hussein because he killed the people, now we condemn all the militia or ISIS," said Saad Kadum.

The Iraqi Americans in Sterling Heights prayed for peace in their homeland and raising awareness about the situation overseas.

"We're just asking for the communities in the United States to stand with us. Stand with the people of Iraq.They're not all terrorists," said rally organizer Nahren Anweya.