Deadly attacks target Iraqi headquarters
Source: Agencies |
December 28, 2010, Tuesday
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TWIN suicide bombings rocked a government compound in the Iraqi city of Ramadi yesterday, killing 17 people, a deputy interior minister said.
It was the second attack on the compound this month and the third bombing there in the past year.
"The death toll is 17 and between 50 and 60 were wounded," said Lieutenant General Hussein Kamal, a deputy interior minister.
A police source said many of those wounded were policemen.
Anbar Governor Qassim Mohammed said the first blast happened when a minibus exploded outside the -compound and the second was caused by a suicide bomber on foot, disguised as a policeman.
"Prime Minister (Nuri al-Maliki) has ordered an investigative committee to be formed due to the repeated targeting of (this) building in Anbar province," Kamal said.
The province of Anbar was the heartland of a Sunni insurgency after the 2003 United States-led invasion. Its main cities, Ramadi and Falluja, saw fierce fighting during the war.
While violence in Iraq has dropped from the peak of sectarian warfare in 2006 and 2007, bombings and attacks still occur daily, and insurgents are still capable of large-scale attacks.
"We were having breakfast at home this morning when we heard two loud explosions," said a man standing at the gate of his house near the bomb site.
"What do we need to do to be safe? There's nothing we can do but leave this area," he shouted.
A doctor at Ramadi hospital said at least 14 people had been killed and 52 wounded, some of whom were in serious condition.
The compound houses the provincial council as well as the police headquarters for Anbar province.
Hikmet Khalaf, the deputy governor of Anbar, blamed the attack on the Iraqi wing of al-Qaida.
"The goal of al-Qaida is clear, to strike at security in the province. This is not the first attack targeting the local government buildings. The attackers chose a crowded intersection in Ramadi to kill large numbers of civilians who were headed to the government buildings," he said.
Earlier this month, Iraqi forces arrested 39 al-Qaida militants, including the group's leadership in Anbar province and one of its top officers in Iraq.
"The arrest of senior al-Qaida leaders in Anbar ... a month ago does not mean that al-Qaida has ended because al-Qaida has the ability to organize itself in a short period," Kamal said.
In December 2009, twin suicide blasts killed at least 24 and wounded more than 100 just outside the provincial government headquarters in Ramadi. The governor of Anbar province was critically wounded in one of the attacks, but survived.
It was the second attack on the compound this month and the third bombing there in the past year.
"The death toll is 17 and between 50 and 60 were wounded," said Lieutenant General Hussein Kamal, a deputy interior minister.
A police source said many of those wounded were policemen.
Anbar Governor Qassim Mohammed said the first blast happened when a minibus exploded outside the -compound and the second was caused by a suicide bomber on foot, disguised as a policeman.
"Prime Minister (Nuri al-Maliki) has ordered an investigative committee to be formed due to the repeated targeting of (this) building in Anbar province," Kamal said.
The province of Anbar was the heartland of a Sunni insurgency after the 2003 United States-led invasion. Its main cities, Ramadi and Falluja, saw fierce fighting during the war.
While violence in Iraq has dropped from the peak of sectarian warfare in 2006 and 2007, bombings and attacks still occur daily, and insurgents are still capable of large-scale attacks.
"We were having breakfast at home this morning when we heard two loud explosions," said a man standing at the gate of his house near the bomb site.
"What do we need to do to be safe? There's nothing we can do but leave this area," he shouted.
A doctor at Ramadi hospital said at least 14 people had been killed and 52 wounded, some of whom were in serious condition.
The compound houses the provincial council as well as the police headquarters for Anbar province.
Hikmet Khalaf, the deputy governor of Anbar, blamed the attack on the Iraqi wing of al-Qaida.
"The goal of al-Qaida is clear, to strike at security in the province. This is not the first attack targeting the local government buildings. The attackers chose a crowded intersection in Ramadi to kill large numbers of civilians who were headed to the government buildings," he said.
Earlier this month, Iraqi forces arrested 39 al-Qaida militants, including the group's leadership in Anbar province and one of its top officers in Iraq.
"The arrest of senior al-Qaida leaders in Anbar ... a month ago does not mean that al-Qaida has ended because al-Qaida has the ability to organize itself in a short period," Kamal said.
In December 2009, twin suicide blasts killed at least 24 and wounded more than 100 just outside the provincial government headquarters in Ramadi. The governor of Anbar province was critically wounded in one of the attacks, but survived.
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