WORLD> Middle East
|
WORLD> Middle East
|
|
Waves of Baghdad blasts kill 97
(Xinhua/Agencies)
Updated: 2009-08-19 20:38
BAGHDAD: A series of deadly bomb attacks struck Baghdad Wednesday with at least 97 people killed and about 585 others injured, shaping a setback to Iraq's efforts to restore normalcy in the capital after 50 days of U.S. troops pullout of Iraqi cities and towns. At least six bombs and mortar rounds struck near government ministries and other sensitive targets in quick succession.
"The windows of the Foreign Ministry shattered, slaughtering the people inside. I could see ministry workers, journalists and security guards among the dead," said a distraught ministry employee who gave her name as Asia. The Baghdad government said this month most of the city's blast walls would be removed within 40 days, a sign of confidence in its security forces ahead of national elections due in January. Wednesday's violence undermined confidence in the government's ability to ensure security, on which Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has staked his reputation. The blast site near the Foreign Ministry was a twisted heap of smouldering cars as firefighters fought to put out the flames. Police said it involved a truck bomb. Such coordinated large-scale explosions near heavily guarded state buildings are relatively rare. Mostly Shi'ite Muslim venues such as mosques have been targeted by bombings in the past two months in the capital and northern Iraq, where insurgents such as al Qaeda have exploited disputes between the region's Kurds and Arabs. |
