Baghdad attacks deadliest in two years

An Iraqi crying outside of the justice ministry in Baghdad, one of two government buildings targeted this morning. (Photo: AFP)

A pair of bombings outside government buildings in Baghdad this morning killed at least 100 people -- perhaps more than 130, according to some sources -- and left hundreds more wounded.

The first bomb went off at 10:15 a.m. at an intersection near the justice ministry. The second followed less than a minute later; it exploded outside of the Baghdad provincial government headquarters. Blast walls in front of both buildings had recently been removed.

The bombings are the deadliest in Baghdad in two years, and the highest-profile attacks since August, when a series of coordinated attacks targeted the finance and foreign ministries.

The Washington Post's Anthony Shadid notes the political consequences this attack will have for Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Unlike the carnage unleashed by attacks in crowded mosques, restaurants and markets, aimed at igniting sectarian strife, these blasts appeared to rely on a distinct political calculus, designed to undermine faith in the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has staked his political future on restoring a semblance of security to the war-wrecked country.

Maliki visited the scene of the attacks hours after they happened. His office released a statement (عربي) blaming the attacks on the Ba'ath party and al-Qaeda -- the same culprits he blamed for the August bombings. A translated excerpt from Maliki's statement today:

"The cowardly terrorist attacks which occurred today must not weaken the Iraqi people's resolve to continue their journey and fight the remnants of the Ba'ath regime and al-Qaeda."

[...] "[The culprits] have black hands stained with the blood of the Iraqi people."

One of the bombs was hidden in a car; the other, according to The Guardian, might have been carried in a truck. Trucks have not been allowed to operate in Baghdad before 4 p.m. since the August bombings.

Al-Jazeera reports (عربي) that it's not clear whether the bombs were carried by suicide bombers or detonated by remote control.

No Comments