Wave of coordinated attacks strike government sites in Baghdad, killing at least 94

Coordinated blasts hit Baghdad; kill at least 94

BAGHDAD — A series of coordinated attacks struck Baghdad Tuesday, including three car bombs that blew up near government sites. At least 94 were killed and 120 wounded in the worst wave of violence in the capital in more than a month, authorities said.

A total of four attacks, which also included a suicide car bomb on a police patrol, showed the ability of insurgents to strike high-profile targets in the heart of Baghdad. It was another embarrassment to Iraqi forces in their expanding role as front-line security as U.S. forces plan their withdrawal.

The blasts came as Iraqi officials prepared to announced the date for next year’s parliamentary elections — a move the security forces worry could bring an escalation in attacks seeking to discredit the pro-Western government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

The core of the attacks hit central Baghdad with three bomb-rigged cars exploding in the span of a few minutes.

The targets were the latest assaults directed at Iraqi authorities: the Labor 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 in major attacks in August.

An official for Iraq’s Interior Ministry said at least 90 people were killed in those three car bombs and at least 115 injured. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give information to media.

About an hour before the Baghdad blasts, a suicide car bomber struck a police patrol in the mostly Sunni district of Dora in southern Baghdad, killing at least three policemen and one civilian and injuring five people, said a police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media.

“What crime have we committed? Children and women were buried under debris. Why did they (Iraqi troops) let this car bomb pass!” cried Ahmed Jabbar as he staggered through the debris near the new Finance Ministry building.

The blast tore through a nearby market and toppled at least one building nearby. Rescue teams — some using construction cranes — tried to pull away the rubble to seek for survivors.

The bombings marked the most serious spate of violence in Baghdad since twin car bombs on Oct. 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 people.

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 Saddam Hussein’s 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-Qaida in Iraq. A rise in insurgent power could be a serious blow to the government’s credibility before national elections, which are now expected to be held in late February. A decision on the final election date — originally scheduled for Jan. 16 — was possible as early as Tuesday.