A suicide bomber blew himself up outside the forensics department of Iraq's interior ministry, killing at least 18 people and wounding nearly 100.
The bomber blew himself up near a security checkpoint in Tahariyat Square, in Baghdad's central Karrada district. Most of the casualties are police officers (عربي). The forensics department is separate from the main interior ministry building, and its position in a busy square makes it a fairly exposed target.
It's the second attack in Baghdad in 24 hours: A coordinated series of bombings yesterday killed roughly 35 people at several hotels used by Western journalists and aid agencies.
At the risk of sounding repetitive -- we've made this point for months -- the attacks are aimed at undermining prime minister Nouri al-Maliki's government ahead of parliamentary elections in March. The targets are significant: Insurgents are going after the government, and the Iraqi and Western elite in Baghdad. They're highlighting the inability of Iraq's security services to prevent attacks, even in the well-guarded heart of Baghdad.
And Iraqis are increasingly losing confidence in those security services, according to reports. Just today, in fact, Hamid al-Hays -- the chairman of Anbar province's awakening council -- accused the security services of negligence and incompetence (عربي).
The timing of this week's attacks is not random, either. They're almost certainly timed to coincide with the execution of Ali Hasan al-Majid -- "Chemical Ali" -- Saddam Hussein's chief enforcer.
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Categories: Iraq, Regional News, War and Terrorism, War in Iraq
Tags: Anbar province, Hamid al-Hays, insurgency, Nouri al-Maliki
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