Baghdad bombers strike ministries, police; at least 100 dead

In southern Baghdad's Dora neighborhood, a suicide bomber blew himself up near a police patrol. That attack reportedly killed at least 15 people. Unconfirmed reports say another bomb went off near Baghdad's Mustansiriya University.

These were the first mass-casualty attacks in Iraq since October, when bombers detonated two massive truck bombs near the justice ministry in central Baghdad. That attack, which killed more than 100 people, was the deadliest in two years; today's attacks appear to have a similar level of casualties.

The bombings came just hours after Iraqi politicians approved a final election law. Many news reports quote Iraqis who think the two stories are linked; this quote, from the New York Times, is fairly representative.

At least one victim linked Tuesday's attacks to the squabbling over the election. "Are we cursed?" a young woman near the mosque that was struck in Qahira, in northeast Baghdad, yelled. She had burns over her arms and legs. "When will we be finished with this election issue?"

The attacks -- like the October bombings, and the August ministry bombings before that -- are clearly designed to undermine public confidence in prime minister Nouri al-Maliki's government. Increased security has been a prominent part of Maliki's reelection campaign.

Maliki has yet to respond to the attacks. His government blamed previous attacks on al-Qaeda in Iraq and remnants of the Ba'ath party.