A soldier inspects the remains of a vehicle used in a bomb attack in Baghdad’s Sadr city May 22, 2011. A string of bombings and explosions killed at least 13 people and wounded 74 in the Baghdad area yesterday, including a suicide bombing targeting Iraqi soldiers north of the capital, security officials said.
A string of bombings killed at least 15 people and wounded 74 more across Baghdad yesterday and two US troops were killed in central Iraq, officials said.
Violence in Iraq has dropped sharply since the height of sectarian conflict four years ago, but bombings, assassinations and attacks occur daily as the remaining US troops prepare to pull out of the country by the end of this year.
Santa Claus toys are displayed for sale during Christmas Eve along a street in Baghdad on December 24, 2010.
Normally on Christmas Eve, Ban Zaki puts on festive clothes and takes her family to Baghdad’s Our Lady of Salvation church for lively holiday celebrations.
Not this year.
Dressed in black and fighting back tears, she has brought her three children to the church to honour her late husband, who was killed along with 51 others when Iraqi forces stormed it after militants took hostages during Sunday mass on Oct 31.
“He died on this spot,” 49-year-old Zaki said, pointing to the marble floor of the Catholic church.
“This year, there will be no festivities, no celebrations. The images of the attack and how they killed my husband here in this place are still in front of my eyes. Those were four hours I won’t forget for the rest of my life,” she said.
The attack triggered a fresh exodus of Christians from some Iraqi cities amid renewed fears that Sunni Islamist militants were trying to drive Christians out of their homeland.
The UN refugee agency said last week that some 1,000 Christian families, roughly 6,000 people, had fled to Iraqi Kurdistan from Baghdad, Mosul and other areas.
Nuri al-Maliki's State of Law party won 89 seats in the Iraqi elections
Iyad Allawi's secular coalition narrowly won the March 7 vote
Iraq has suspended more than 50 electoral candidates.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday urged Iraqi leaders to resolve rows over the March elections and form a new government quickly, as more winning candidates risked being disqualified.
With a major US troop drawdown set for August hanging in the balance, Clinton amplified concerns among US officials over Iraq's long drawn-out effort to finalize the election results amid factional squabbling.
A judicial panel was set to rule Wednesday on the fate of nine other election-winning candidates who stand to be disqualified in a process that has thrown formation of the government into disarray.
On Monday, the panel eliminated at least one winning candidate and around 50 others who failed to secure parliamentary seats, drawing anger from former premier Iyad Allawi whose secular coalition narrowly won the March 7 vote.
One of those disqualified was a winning candidate from Allawi's Iraqiya bloc, which has alleged that it is being targeted by officials and religious parties who do not want him to obtain power.
An Iraqi woman react at the scene of a blast in central Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, April 6, 2010. Massive explosions hit apartment buildings across Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 11 people and wounding scores more in the latest sign that Iraq's fragile security could dissolve in the chaos of the country's unresolved election.
Rescuers search for survivors at the scene of a bomb attack in central Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, April 6, 2010. Massive explosions hit apartment buildings across Baghdad killing at least 34 and wounding more than 100 in the latest sign that Iraq's fragile security could dissolve in the chaos of the country's unresolved electio
At least seven bombs ripped through apartment buildings across Baghdad Tuesday and another struck a market, killing at least 50 people and wounding more than 180, authorities said.
The explosions were the latest in a five-day spree of attacks in and around the capital that have killed at least 119 people. Several bombs were planted inside empty apartments, the government said.
A spate of attacks near polling stations in Baghdad killed at least 12 people and injured dozens despite tightened security as Iraq began an early voting on Thursday across the country for Sunday's parliamentary election.
More than 800,000 Iraqi soldiers, police, hospital staff and prisoners cast their votes in the voting which began early morning on Thursday, as they will not be able to go to the polls on the election day due to work.
Up to 458 polling centers were opened in Iraq's 18 provinces to receive the eligible people, most of whom were from the country's security forces, said Qassim al-Abboudi, a senior official with the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission.
Qassim Atta, spokesman of the Baghdad Operation Command, said that the Iraqi security forces have beefed up security for polling centers across Baghdad.
However, the voting was still overshadowed with three deadly bombings.
The first attack was a roadside bomb which detonated near a polling center in Baghdad's northern neighborhood of al-Hurriyah, killing five civilians and wounding 22 others. The polling center is ready to be used for Sunday's general elections.
In the afternoon, a suicide bomber struck a bus carrying Iraqi soldiers outside a polling center in Baghdad's western district of Mansour, killing three soldiers and wounding 15 others.
The attacker blew up his explosive belt as the soldiers were leaving the bus to a polling center, according to a police source.
Less than an hour later, another suicide bomber blew up his explosive vest at Iraqi soldiers who were lining up at a school polling center in Bab al-Mu'dham area in downtown Baghdad. At least four soldiers were killed and 10 others injured.
On Wednesday, two suicide car bombers struck two government buildings in Baquba, capital of Diyala Province, and later a third suicide bomber blew himself at the Baquba hospital, targeting the wounded people who were transported to the hospital for treatment. The three blasts killed at least 30 people.
Last month, Abu Omer al-Baghdadi, leader of the self-styled Islamic State of Iraq, threatened to attack the country's parliamentary elections to prevent the voting process "by all possible means, primarily, the military means."
However, many Iraqis, including the injured people who were hit by triple suicide bombings in Diyala, still voted.
"I have lost my hand yesterday but I still have my right to vote to defy those who are killing innocent people. This is my hope," said Salim Mohammed, a medic who was wounded by a suicide bombing at the Baquba hospital.
According to electoral organizers, some 19 million Iraqis, including 1.4 million living abroad in 16 countries, are eligible to vote for the 325-seat Iraq's Council of Representatives with some 6,300 candidates.
The election is regarded crucial for the country's national reconciliation and political process as Iraq has been struggling to improve security situation in the past few years and preparing itself for a planned full withdrawal of U.S. troops at the end of 2011.
Iraqi civil defence members inspect a damaged building after a bomb attack in Baghdad March 4, 2010.
An Iraqi policeman casts his vote at a polling station in Baghdad March 4, 2010. Over 800,000 Iraqis including security personnel, doctors, prisoners and people in hospital are set to vote on Thursday in a special parliamentary voting.
Hope: Security forces and rescuers search for survivors in the aftermath of the blast at the Finance Ministry
Horror: Iraqi security forces gather at the site of a blast near the Labour Ministry building in Baghdad
Devastation: Security personnel gather by a crater caused by one of the bombings
Tears: An Iraqi woman weeps at the sight of the carnage wreaked by the bombs
Blast: Smoke billows across the Iraqi capital following the series of explosions
Gory: Blood stains a car at the scene of a blast in Cairo Street, northern Baghdad
A man gestures at the wreckage of a car near the site of the blast outside the Labour Ministry building
Effort: A body is evacuated from the blast site near the Finance Ministry
Walking wounded: A soldier hurries a casualty out of danger following the blast at a Baghdad courthouse
A map showing the sites of the bomb attacks
At least 127 people were killed and more than 400 wounded yesterday in a series of co-ordinated car and suicide bombings in Baghdad.
Officials blamed the blasts - which targeted government buildings in the Iraqi capital - on Al Qaeda and said they were an attempt to undermine the auction of oilfield contracts this weekend.
The explosions came despite a security crackdown and underlined fears of renewed insurgency ahead of Iraqi national elections in March.
Former national security adviser Mowaffaq Al Rubaie said: 'Al Qaeda has been active in Baghdad recently.
'Their aim is to show the government is unable to protect civilians and deter the people from going to the ballot box.'
The first attack, at 10am local time (7am GMT), killed three policemen and a civilian in Dora in southern Baghdad. An hour later further blasts hit the Labour Ministry building, a court complex near the Iraqi-protected Green Zone and the new site of the Finance Ministry - after its previous building was destroyed by a suicide attack in August.
Another explosion tore through a nearby market and toppled at least one building. Rescue teams used cranes to pull away rubble in the search for survivors.
One who escaped, Ahmed Jabbar, cried: 'What crime have we committed? Children and women were buried under debris.'
Iraq's oil ministry said it would not cancel its tender of oilfield development contracts, due to be attended by the world's main oil companies.
The deals are seen as crucial to the country's efforts to raise the cash to rebuild after years of war and destruction.
Gordon Brown yesterday led international condemnation of the attacks.
Iraq's military spokesman blamed the carnage on an alliance of Al Qaeda in Iraq and members of Saddam Hussein's banned Baath Party.
The U.S. military has sent some troops and forensic equipment to assist the Iraqis in the aftermath, said Army Master Sgt. Nicholas Conner, a military spokesman.
A Kurdish parliament member, Mohammed Shareef Ahmed, was among several lawmakers demanding a full-scale inquiry.
The parliament today is so angry toward the security services which we feel have failed to prevent these attacks ... We all feel - and all the world feels - that the Iraqi people are fed up of sufferings and something should be done to stop this,' he said.
The blasts are an embarrassment to Iraqi forces in their expanding role as front-line security as U.S. forces plan their withdrawal.
They came just before Iraqi officials today confirmed March 6 as the date for next year's parliamentary elections, and not February 27, as had been widely expected.
Overall violence has dropped sharply around Iraq in the past year, but insurgents have stepped up attacks at government sites.
Iraqi officials blamed the October attacks on loyalists to the banned Baathist Party - even bringing out three suspects on national television who gave what officials termed confessions.
But there are questions whether Iraqi leaders seek to shift attention away from a possible resurgence of Sunni insurgents led by Al Qaeda in Iraq.
A rise in insurgent power could be a serious blow to the government's credibility before national elections.
Security forces are concerned the announcement could bring a further escalation in attacks seeking to discredit the pro-Western government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
On Monday, eight people were killed when a bomb exploded a school in Baghdad. Among the dead were six children.
A further five people were killed on the same day when gunmen stormed a checkpoint near Tarmiyah.
The bombings marked the most serious spate of violence in Baghdad since twin car bombs on October 25 struck outside Baghdad administration offices, killing at least 155 people.
The breakdown of casualties among the sites was not immediately clear, but the most serious bloodshed had been reported outside the new Finance Ministry building.
In August, suicide bombers hit the finance and foreign ministries, killing more than 100 peop
An Iraqi man is lifted off the ground as he grieves following the bomb blast outside offices of the governor of Baghdad
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki (right) visits the site of the bomb attacks yesterday afternoon
Devastation: Burnt bodies spill out of a blown-up overturned car
Grim: Rescuers carry a burnt body from the scene
An amateur video captures the moment one of the car bombs explodes
Carnage: A pair of powerful explosions went off near the Ministry of Justice in Baghdad and the offices of a Kurdish political party during yesterday's morning rush hour as people headed to work
Aftermath: An injured man speaks on his mobile phone as he sits outside the Karama hospital following yesterday's explosions
Iraqis inspect the badly damaged building of the Ministry of Justice in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009. Iraq police say that a pair of powerful explosions rocked downtown Baghdad went off in front of the headquarters of the Baghdad provincial administration and near the Ministry of Justice building during the morning rush hour as people headed to work.
Fire fighters load into an ambulance the body of a man killed by a massive bomb attack at the headquarters of the Baghdad provincial administration in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009. Iraq police say that a pair of powerful explosions rocked downtown Baghdad. The blasts went off in front of the headquarters of the Baghdad provincial administration and near the Ministry of Justice building during the morning rush hour as people headed to work.
Mourners attend the funeral of a victim who was killed in a suicide bombing grieve at his funeral in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Oct. 26, 2009. On Sunday, at least 147 people were killed and 721 were wounded in two suicide bombings in the country's deadliest attack in more than two years.
Iraqis gather at the site of a massive bomb attack at the Ministry of Justice in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009. Iraq police say that a pair of powerful explosions rocked downtown Baghdad. The blasts went off in front of the headquarters of the Baghdad provincial administration and near the Ministry of Justice building during the morning rush hour as people headed to work.
Iraqi security forces inspect the site of a massive bomb attack at the headquarters of the Baghdad provincial administration in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009. Iraq police say that a pair of powerful explosions rocked downtown Baghdad. The blasts went off in front of the headquarters of the Baghdad provincial administration and near the Ministry of Justice building during the morning rush hour as people headed to work.
An Iraqi Army soldier stands guard as Iraqis gather at the site of a massive bomb attack at the Ministry of Justice in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009. Iraq police say that a pair of powerful explosions rocked downtown Baghdad. The blasts went off in front of the headquarters of the Baghdad provincial administration and near the Ministry of Justice building during the morning rush hour as people headed to work.
Al-Qaida's umbrella group in Iraq has claimed responsibility for the twin suicide bombings in Baghdad that killed at least 155 people this week.
The group, known as the Islamic State of Iraq, says in a statement posted on the Internet that its "martyrs ... targeted the dens of infidelity."
The authenticity of the statement, posted late Monday on a Web site commonly used for militant messaging, could not be independently confirmed.
The same group also claimed responsibility for August bombings of two government ministries in Baghdad, when more than 100 people were killed.
Three major government buildings were destroyed or severely damaged in Sunday's blasts. The dead included two dozen children trapped in a bus leaving a day care center.
An al Qaeda-linked group has said it carried out the twin suicide bombings that killed 155 people in Baghdad on Sunday and revived doubts about security in the run-up to Iraq's elections in January.
The statement dated October 26 was posted by the Islamic State in Iraq group on a website often used by militants to announce responsibility for such attacks.
"Suicide bombers targeted the dens of infidelity and pillars of the rejectionist Shi'ite state in the land of the caliphate," the statement said.
It employed language often used by Sunni Arab militants to describe the Shi'ite Muslim majority that has dominated the Iraqi government since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003.
"Among the chosen targets were the ministry of oppression known as the ministry of justice and the Baghdad provincial assembly ... The enemies only understand the language of force," said the statement.
The authenticity of the claim could not be immediately verified.
The same group has said it was behind attacks near government ministries in Baghdad that killed 95 people in August.
Officials have said two mini-buses were used in Sunday's attacks, circumventing a ban on truck traffic in heavily policed central Baghdad.
Both were driven by suicide bombers from a nearby site, according to aerial images from U.S.-operated airships that hover over the city.
The January ballot is expected to focus on security gains under Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki after years of war and sticky questions about the distribution of power and oil wealth.
Insurgents are widely expected to try and upset an electoral process that is meant to prepare the way for an ordered withdrawal of most U.S. troops from Iraq.
-Men inspect cars destroyed in a car bomb explosion near the Finance Ministry in northern Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. A series of deadly explosions targeting government and commercial buildings struck Baghdad Wednesday, killing scores of people and wounding many more Iraqi police and medical officials said-
-Smoke billows near the Iraqi Foreign Ministry after a massive bomb attack in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. A series of explosions struck the Iraqi capital Wednesday, targeting primarily government and commercial buildings, killing dozens of people and wounding many more Iraqi officials said-
-An Iraqi soldier is seen near the wreckage of a car bomb explosion near the Finance Ministry in northern Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. A series of deadly explosions targeting government and commercial buildings struck Baghdad Wednesday, killing scores of people and wounding many more Iraqi police and medical officials said=
An Iraqi man walks past a destroyed vehicle after a car bomb explosion near the Finance Ministry in northern Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. A series of deadly explosions targeting government and commercial buildings struck Baghdad Wednesday, killing scores of people and wounding many more Iraqi police and medical officials said- -Layla Mohammed is treated for head wounds after a massive bomb attack on the Foreign Ministry in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. A series of deadly explosions targeting government and commercial buildings struck Baghdad Wednesday, killing dozens and wounding more than 300, Iraqi police and medical officials said.-
-Iraqi policemen inspect cars destroyed in a car bomb explosion near the Finance Ministry in northern Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. A series of deadly explosions targeting government and commercial buildings struck Baghdad Wednesday, killing scores of people and wounding many more Iraqi police and medical officials said-
-Iraqi policemen and civilians stand in wreckage after a car bomb explosion near the Finance Ministry in northern Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. A series of deadly explosions targeting government and commercial buildings struck Baghdad Wednesday, killing scores of people and wounding many more Iraqi police and medical officials said.-
At least two people have been killed in a bicycle bombing in Baghdad, a day after a series of bombings left 101 people dead and 500 more wounded in the Iraqi capital.
Police and medical officials said at least 10 people were injured in Thursday's bombing, when an explosive attached to a bicycle went off in a market near the commercial Al-Rasheed street.
More than 500 people also were wounded when nearly simultaneous truck bombs struck Iraq's Foreign and Finance ministries on Wednesday — the deadliest day of coordinated bombings in more than a year.
Iraq's prime minister has ordered a security review after the deadliest series of attacks in the country this year left 95 people dead in Baghdad.
Nouri Maliki called Wednesday's bombings "a desperate attempt to derail the political process" in Iraq.
Mr Maliki blamed the latest strikes on al-Qaida in Iraq and loyalists of the late president, Saddam Hussein, who was toppled after US-led forces invaded in 2003.
They included two truck bombings close to government ministries located in a part of the capital which has generally not been targeted in recent months.
He said Iraqi security forces were "very capable of confronting terrorists", but acknowledged that a security review was necessary.
"The criminal operations that happened today no doubt call for a re-evaluation of our plans and our security methods to face the terrorist challenges," he said in a statement.
The prime minister also said insurgents had taken advantage of government efforts to restore normalcy by removing concrete blast walls from main roads in Baghdad.
"These attacks represent a reaction to the opening of streets and bridges and the lifting of barriers inside the residential areas," he said.
An Iraqi army spokesman said two al-Qaeda members had been arrested in Baghdad in connection with the attacks.
There have so far been no claims of responsibility for the bombings.
Where are the explosion ?
The biggest explosion on Wednesday happened close to the foreign ministry, just outside the high-security Green Zone.
It was powerful enough to break windows at the parliament building inside the zone, which houses government and diplomatic buildings.
It also left a crater 3m (10ft) deep and 10m (33ft) in diameter, with the smouldering wreckage of cars scattered around the site of the explosion.
Minutes earlier, there had been another blast close to the finance ministry in another hitherto relatively safe area of the city.
At least four other explosions went off in other parts of Baghdad, including the southern district of Bayaa. Several mortars also fell inside the Green Zone itself.
An interior ministry official said more than 560 people had been injured in the attacks, which appeared to have been co-ordinated.
Attacks resumed on Thursday when the explosives-laden bicycle struck a restaurant shortly before 8 a.m. in downtown Baghdad, killing at least two people and wounding 18, according to al-Moussawi's office.
