BAGHDAD: A series of coordinated attacks struck Baghdad Tuesday, killing at least 127 people and injuring hundreds.
A total of five 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 and marked the third time since August that government buildings were targeted with multiple blasts that killed more than 100 people.
The bombings reinforced concerns about shortcomings in Iraqi security as US forces plan their withdrawal, and Parliament held an emergency session with many lawmakers demanding answers for apparent security lapses. 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 US military has sent some troops and forensic equipment to assist the Iraqis in the aftermath, said Army Master Sgt. Nicholas Conner, a military spokesman.
Overall violence has dropped sharply around Iraq in the past year, though insurgents have stepped up attacks at government sites in recent months. The bombings marked the most serious spate of violence in Baghdad since twin car bombs on Oct. 25 struck outside government offices, killing at least 155. In August, suicide bombers hit the finance and foreign ministries, killing more than 100.
Iraqi police said at least two of the Baghdad blasts were the handiwork of suicide bombers — one driving a bomb-rigged ambulance heading for the Finance Ministry and the other plowing through a barrier near the Appeals Court building and exploding the car as guards opened fire. The third explosion may have been bomb-rigged cars detonated by a timer or a trigger.
