Iraq: Bring Bombers to Justice
28 Oct 2009 15:24:26 GMT
Source: Human Rights Watch
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(New York) - Devastating bomb attacks in Baghdad on October 25, 2009, were an assault on the fundamental principle of respect for life, and Iraqi authorities have a duty to ensure that anyone found to have contributed to their execution is apprehended and brought to justice, Human Rights Watch said today.
Two vehicle bombs, driven by suicide bombers, destroyed three major government buildings, killing more than 155 people, including 30 children, and wounding over 500, according to Iraqi government officials.
"No political goal or grievance can legitimize any such assault," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "This widespread and indiscriminate killing is reprehensible and morally indefensible."
Human Rights Watch also urged US forces to help protect civilians to the greatest extent permitted within the Status of Forces agreement between Iraq and the US.
At about 10:30 a.m. on October 25, the first of two blasts destroyed the Ministry of Justice, including its day care center, and ravaged the nearby Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works. Seconds later, the second blast heavily damaged the Baghdad Provincial Council.
The attack was Iraq's deadliest in more than two years. No one has claimed responsibility for the latest bombings. Iraqi officials have accused both the militant group al Qaeda of Mesopotamia as well as remnants of the Baath party, the Sunni-led party of Saddam Hussein, for the bombing. Massive car bombs have been the hallmark of Sunni Arab insurgents.
The attack had similarities to a pair of coordinated bombings on August 19 that targeted the Foreign and Finance Ministry buildings in Baghdad, killing nearly 100 people and wounding more than 600.
Death toll reaches 132 in Baghdad bombings - police
25 Oct 2009 12:41:38 GMT
Source: Reuters
BAGHDAD, Oct 25 (Reuters) - The death toll from twin bombings in Iraq's capital reached 132 people with more than 500 wounded on Sunday, police said, in one of the deadliest attacks in Baghdad this year.
Police sources said the car bombs targeted two government buildings in central Baghdad. (Reporting by Reuters TV)
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US-Iraq Business and Investment Conference in Washington, DC, on October 20. Pressure mounted on Sunday as Iraqi leaders prepared to meet to try to end a deadlock over a stalled election law amid growing concerns that the country's January polls will have to be delayed.
Two car bombs kill 106 in Baghdad-police
25 Oct 2009 12:25:38 GMT
Source: Reuters
* Bloodiest day in Baghdad for months
* Two suicide bombers in cars, say police
* Government blames al Qaeda or Baathists
(Updates death toll, adds details)
By Saad Shalash
BAGHDAD, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Twin car bombs targeting two government buildings killed at least 106 people and wounded 512 in Baghdad on Sunday, police and health officials said, in the bloodiest attack in the Iraqi capital for months.
Violence has fallen in Iraq since U.S.-backed tribal sheikhs helped wrest control from al Qaeda militants and Washington sent extra troops but attacks are still common in a nation trying to rebuild from conflict, sanctions and strife.
The two blasts shook buildings and smoke billowed from the area near the Tigris River. The first targeted the Justice Ministry and the second, minutes later, was aimed at the nearby provincial government building, police said.
Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said he was in a hotel when the bombs went off and he and others around him were showered in glass. He said he suspected al Qaeda or remnants of Saddam Hussein's former government were behind the attacks.
"The initial analysis shows that it bears the fingerprints of al Qaeda and the Baathists," said Dabbagh, who was at the al-Mansour hotel at the time.
The hotel houses the Chinese embassy and several foreign media organisations. None reported serious injuries.
The street near the provincial government building was flooded with water and firefighters pulled charred and mangled bodies off the streets. Burnt-out cars were piled up nearby.
Relief workers on cranes searched the shattered facade of the Justice Ministry and pulled out corpses wrapped in blankets.
"I don't know how I'm still alive. The explosion destroyed everything. Nothing is still in its place," shop owner Hamid Saadi told Reuters by telephone from near the Justice Ministry.
A Health Ministry official said earlier that Baghdad's hospitals had received 50 bodies and 460 wounded.
LAPSES?
U.S. military officials say attacks like these are aimed at reigniting the sectarian conflict that gripped the nation after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that deposed Saddam, or at undermining confidence in Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki before a parliamentary poll next year.
Maliki is expected to run on improved security conditions throughout the nation.
Baghdad Security Spokesman Major General Qassim al-Moussawi declined to speculate on who was behind the attack.
Sunday's blasts hit two months after bombings on Aug. 19 targeting the foreign and finance ministries that killed almost 100 people and wounded hundreds more.
That attack prompted a rare admission of lapses by Iraqi security forces. Most of the victims of the Aug. 19 attacks were cut down in a blizzard of broken glass.
The attacks raise doubts about the Iraqi forces' ability to take over overall security from U.S. soldiers who pulled out of Iraqi city centres in June ahead of a complete withdrawal from the country by the end of 2011. (Additional reporting by Reuters Television, Waleed Ibrahim, Muhanad Mohammed and Suadad al-Sahly; writing by Jack Kimball; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
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Iraq police say that a pair of powerful explosions went off near the Ministry of Justice and the offices of a Kurdish political party during the morning rush hour as people headed to work.
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The Americans have been trying in vain to tell the world that every thing is OK in their destroyed and occupied Iraq and that their client Green Zone Republic and its security forces are doing their job in defending USraeli interests and in protecting their soldiers and their occupation. But the no non-sense Iraqis know better how bad it is on ground and respond directly and strongly. Here is a list of major attacks in Iraq since January 2009:
TIMELINE-Deadliest bomb attacks in Iraq
25 Oct 2009 13:00:28 GMT
Source: Reuters
Oct 25 (Reuters) - Twin car bombs targeting two government buildings killed at least 132 people and wounded more than 500 in central Baghdad on Sunday, police said, the bloodiest attack in the Iraqi capital this year.
Here is a timeline of the deadliest bomb attacks since 2007:
Feb. 3, 2007 - A truck bomb kills 135 people and wounds 305 at a market in the Sadriya quarter of central Baghdad.
March 6 - Two suicide bombers strike in Hilla, south of Baghdad, killing 105 pilgrims. Insurgents launch a total of 12 attacks against Shi'ite pilgrims. In all, 137 pilgrims are killed and 310 are wounded.
March 27 - A truck bomb explodes in Tal Afar, close to the Syrian border and Mosul, killing 152 people.
April 18 - Multiple car bombings kill 191 people around Baghdad. One car bomb near a market in the central Sadriya neighbourhood kills 140 people and wounds 150.
April 28 - A suicide car bomber kills 60 people and wounds 170 at a checkpoint in Kerbala.
May 13 - A suicide truck bombing in northern town of Makhmour kills 50, with 70 people wounded.
June 19 - A car bomb near the Khilani Shi'ite mosque in central Baghdad kills 87 people.
July 7 - A truck packed with explosives covered with hay blows up in a crowded market in the northern town of Tuz Khurmato, killing 150 people and wounding 250.
July 16 - Eighty-five people are killed by a suicide truck bomb in the city of Kirkuk. At least 180 are wounded.
Aug. 14 - At least three suicide bombers driving fuel tankers kill and wound at least 796 people in Yazidi residential compounds in the villages of Kahtaniya and al-Jazeera in northern Iraq near the Syrian border. Yazidis are members of a pre-Islamic Kurdish sect who live in northern Iraq and Syria.
Feb. 1, 2008 - Female bombers kill 99 people in attacks blamed on al Qaeda at two popular Baghdad pet markets, the city's worst attacks in six months.
Feb. 24 - A suicide bomber targeting pilgrims heading to one of Shi'ite Islam's holiest rites in southern Kerbala kills 63 people and wounds scores in Iskandariya.
March 6 - Two bombs explode in Baghdad's mainly Shi'ite Karrada district, killing 68 people. Another 120 were wounded.
April 15 - A car bomb kills 40 people and wounds 80 outside a provincial government headquarters in Baquba, local capital of Diyala province. Another car bomb, believed to be driven by a suicide attacker, explodes outside a popular restaurant in Ramadi, capital of Anbar province, killing 13.
June 17 - A truck bomb blasts the al-Hurriya neighbourhood of northwestern Baghdad, killing 63 people and wounding 75. The U.S. military said the attack was carried out by a "special groups cell".
Dec. 11 - A suicide bomber detonates explosives inside a Kurdish restaurant north of Kirkuk. At least 50 people are killed and 109 wounded in the blast.
January 02, 2009: An Attack in Yusufia, killed 23, mostly government officials.
January 4: An attack in Kadhimia killed 35 pilgrims and police.
February 13: An Attack on the road to Kerbala killed 35 Pilgrims.
March 08: An attack on the police academy in Baghdad killed 28 police recruits.
March 10: An attack on Abu Ghraib market killed 33 civilians and police.
March 23: An attack on a Kurdish funeral killed 25 in Jalula, Diala Province.
March 26: An attack in Baghdad targeting a Police convoy killed 20.
April 06: Six attacks in one day in Baghdad killed 34 civilians and security guards.
April 23: Three attacks killed 84 people, the majority were Iranian pilgrims.
April 24: An attack on Kadhmia, Baghdad, killed 58 including 20 Iranian pilgrims.
April 29: Three car bombs killed 51 in Al-Sadr city including many police officers.
May 20: An attack on Al-Shula district, Baghdad killed 40 people.
June 20, 2009 - A suicide bomber detonates a truck filled with explosives as crowds of worshippers leave the Shi'ite al-Rasul mosque in Taza, near Kirkuk. At least 73 people were killed and more than 250 wounded.
June 24 - A bomb kills 72 people at a busy market in eastern Baghdad's Sadr City. At least 127 people are wounded.
June 30: A car bomb killed 26 in Kirkuk.
July 09:Two attacks killed 35 people in Tal Afar west of Mosul.
July 31: Five bombs killed 29 people in Baghdad.
August 07: A bomb killed 37 people in Mosul.
August 10: A car bomb killed 23 in Khazna village near Mosul.
Aug. 19 - At least six blasts strike near government ministries and other targets in Baghdad killing 95(108) people and wounding 536.
Oct. 25 - Twin car bombs targeting two government buildings kill at least 132(162) people and wound more than 500 in central Baghdad.
January 02: An Attack in Yusufia, killed 23, mostly government officials.
January 4: An attack in Kadhimia killed 35 pilgrims and police.
February 13: An Attack on the road to Kerbala killed 35 Pilgrims.
March 08: An attack on the police academy in Baghdad killed 28 police recruits.
March 10: An attack on Abu Ghraib market killed 33 civilians and police.
March 23: An attack on a Kurdish funeral killed 25 in Jalula, Diala Province.
March 26: An attack in Baghdad targeting a Police convoy killed 20.
April 06: Six attacks in one day in Baghdad killed 34 civilians and security guards.
April 23: Three attacks killed 84 people, the majority were Iranian pilgrims.
April 24: An attack on Kadhmia, Baghdad, killed 58 including 20 Iranian pilgrims.
April 29: Three car bombs killed 51 in Al-Sadr city including many police officers.
May 20: An attack on Al-Shula district, Baghdad killed 40 people.
June 20: A car bomb killed 72 in Kirkuk.
June 24: An attack on Al-Sadr city killed 62 people.
June 30: A car bomb killed 26 in Kirkuk.
July 09:Two attacks killed 35 people in Tal Afar west of Mosul.
July 31: Five bombs killed 29 people in Baghdad.
August 07: A bomb killed 37 people in Mosul.
August 10: A car bomb killed 23 in Khazna village near Mosul.
August 19: Two car bombs in Baghdad killed 108 people.
Oct 25: Two car bombs killed 162 people.
The number of wounded was not mentioned as many have died later.
--------------
25 Oct 2009 15:42:24 GMT
Source: Reuters
* One of Iraq's bloodiest days this year
* Government blames al Qaeda or Baathists
* Iraq president criticises regional powers
* Opposition lawmakers fault security forces
(Adds reaction, details)
By Saad Shalash and Waleed Ibrahim
BAGHDAD, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Two suicide bombs tore through Baghdad on Sunday, killing 132 people, wounding more than 500 and leaving mangled bodies and cars on the streets in one of Iraq's deadliest days this year.
The two blasts shredded buildings and smoke billowed from the area near the Tigris River. The first bomb targeted the Justice Ministry and the second, minutes later, was aimed at the nearby provincial government building, police said.
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's office said that the bombs were meant to sow chaos in Iraq similar to attacks on Aug. 19 against the finance and foreign ministries, and were aimed at stopping an election in January.
"It is the same black hands who are covered in the blood of the Iraqi people," a statement from Maliki's office said. "They want to cause chaos in the nation, hinder the political process and prevent the parliamentary election."
Officials have blamed unnamed neighbours for not stopping the attacks -- a reference to Iraqi complaints that Syria provides a safe haven for former Baathists while citizens of other Sunni Muslim states help fund the insurgency in Iraq. Iran, meanwhile, has been accused of funding and arming Shi'ite militia.
"The neighbouring and distant countries should immediately refrain, forever, from harbouring, financing and facilitating forces that openly proclaim their hostility to the Iraqi state," President Jalal Talabani said in a statement.
Attacks could rise in the run-up to the election -- the second national vote since U.S. troops invaded in 2003 -- as forces in and around Iraq jockey for influence over the world's third largest oil reserves.
Some lawmakers criticised the security forces for failing to stop the attack. Government officials blamed the bombings on al Qaeda or remnants of former leader Saddam Hussein's Baath party.
"BIG FAILURE"
The area near the provincial building was flooded and fire fighters pulled charred and torn corpses off the streets. Burnt cars piled up nearby. Workers on cranes combed the broken face of the Justice Ministry, pulling out bodies wrapped in blankets.
"I don't know how I'm still alive. The explosion destroyed everything. Nothing is still in its place," shop owner Hamid Saadi told Reuters by telephone from near the Justice Ministry.
U.S. forces provided forensics teams and bomb experts.
Police sources said the bombs were carried in vans driven by suicide bombers while others said a truck and car were used.
The al-Mansour hotel, which houses the Chinese embassy and several foreign media groups, was also damaged.
U.S. officials say the attacks are aimed at reigniting the sectarian conflict that gripped Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion that deposed Saddam, or at undermining confidence in Maliki before the parliamentary poll.
Maliki is widely expected to campaign on improved security. The attacks were launched as his government tries to sign multi-billion dollar crude deals, expected to turn Iraq into the world's third largest oil producer.
The bombings raise doubts about the Iraqi forces' ability to take over overall security from U.S. soldiers who pulled out of Iraqi city centres in June ahead of the complete withdrawal from the country by the end of 2011.
"This breach is a big failure of the security forces who are responsible, along with the security officials, for what happened," said Jalal al-Din al-Sagheer, who heads the parliamentary bloc of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, one of Maliki's main Shi'ite rivals in the coming election. (Additional reporting by Reuters Television, Muhanad Mohammed and Suadad al-Sahly; writing by Jack Kimball; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
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Iraq Ministries Targeted in Car Bombings; Over 130 Dead
By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS
Published: October 25, 2009
BAGHDAD — For the second time in two months, synchronized suicide car bombings struck at the heart of the Iraqi government, severely damaging the Justice Ministry and Provincial Council complexes in Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least 132 people and raising fresh questions about the government’s ability to secure its most vital operations.
The New York Times
The bombers apparently passed through multiple security checkpoints before detonating their vehicles within a minute of each other, leaving the dead and more than 520 wounded strewn across a busy downtown district. Blast walls had been moved back off the road from in front of both buildings in recent weeks.
It was the deadliest coordinated attack in Iraq since the summer of 2007 and happened just blocks from where car bombers killed at least 122 people at the Foreign and Finance ministries this August.
The attacks came as the American military prepares to withdraw in large numbers — from about 120,000 troops today to some 50,000 by the end of next July, with almost all gone by the end of 2011. Iraq is also readying for national elections in January.
For months, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, who is seeking another term in office, has made painstaking efforts to present Iraq as having turned a corner on the violence that threatened to tear the country apart in 2006 and 2007.
He has recently ordered blast walls removed from dozens of streets in the capital and has insisted that Iraqi forces are capable of securing the country. In large part, his popularity has rested on the belief that he has kept the country reasonably secure.
But the wave of bombings at four high-profile, well-protected government buildings within a two-month span led some Iraqis to to say Sunday that they were reconsidering their support for Mr. Maliki.
“We don’t want a government that does not provide us with security,” said Saif Adil, 26, who has been unemployed since graduating from college two years ago. “It was good for awhile, and now explosions happen less often, but they are having big effects — large numbers of dead in important places.”
Ali Hussein, 32, said the explosions had also caused him to question his support of the prime minister. “Why should I vote for Maliki?” he asked. “He has done nothing except bring explosions and corruption.”
On Sunday, a statement from American Ambassador Christopher R. Hill and Gen. Ray Odierno condemned the bombings saying that the attacks would not “deter Iraqis from administering justice based on the rule of law and carrying out their legitimate responsibilities in governing Baghdad.”
On Sunday, American Marines were seen walking around the debris-filled streets after the attack. One Marine said the Americans had been asked by the Iraqi government to aid in the investigation.
Iraqi and American officials in Baghdad have repeatedly warned about a potential rise in violence as the Jan. 16 parliamentary election approaches, with political parties and their allies vie for advantage and insurgent groups redoubling their efforts to destabilize the country.
In a rare personal appearance at a bombing site, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki arrived at the provincial council building about an hour after the explosion, his face ashen as he surveyed the carnage.
Around Mr. Maliki, paramedics rushed the injured into waiting Red Crescent ambulances, workers wearing plastic gloves scooped body parts off of the street and into plastic bags, and scorched cars — their occupants trapped inside — were pried open in a desperate search for signs of life.
Surrounding streets had been blocked off and were under more than a foot of water because the blast had apparently also damaged a water main. Pools of water were colored red with blood.
Mr. Maliki, wearing a dark suit, did not venture far from his armored white sports utility vehicle. He made no public comment before being driven away.
Mr. Maliki later issued a statement calling the attacks “cowardly” and blamed elements of the Baath Party and the Sunni insurgent group Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia. He said the attack would not affect the scheduled elections.
President Jalal Talibani said the attackers had sought to damage Iraq’s fragile democracy.
“The perpetrators of this have revealed publicly that they are targeting the state and its basic pillars,” Mr. Talibani said. “They want to hinder the political process or to stop it and to sabotage what we have built during six years with great sacrifice.”
The two government buildings, typically filled with officials as well as civilians seeking government help, are situated on Haifa Street in one of Baghdad’s most congested sections. Nearby are other Iraqi government buildings, foreign embassies, the heavily fortified Green Zone, and bridges crossing the Tigris River.
In a testament to the power of the explosion at the provincial council building, a section of 12-foot high blast wall collapsed, crushing people underneath, witnesses said.
The Iraqi Police said the first bomb struck the Justice Ministry building around 10:30 a.m. blowing out its large windows that overlook Haifa Street, sending flying glass and shrapnel into passersby. A plume of black smoke rose over the city that could be seen for miles.
“I was eating in a restaurant near the Justice Ministry when a huge explosion took place,” said Sa’ad Saleem, 28, an employee of Iraq’s state-owned television channel, who had shrapnel wounds in his neck and chest. “The entire scene was filled with bloody human flesh. Large pools of blood were everywhere, in addition to the remains of burned cars. It was horrible.”
At the provincial council building, Sheikh Hadi Salih, 60, had been attending a meeting on the second floor when he heard the sound of an explosion followed by the collapse of the ceiling onto people’s heads.
“We tried to find our way out down the stairs, and as we went we found many dead bodies,” he said. “I’ve seen 20 bodies and more than 60 injured.”
Among the wounded were at least two American security contractors, a United States Embassy official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity under diplomatic ground rules.
Anwar J. Ali, Duraid Adnan, Mohammed Hussein and Riyadh Mohammed contributed reporting.
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Sinan Salaheddin
Baghdad — Associated Press Published on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009 6:08AM EDT
An al-Qaeda linked group claimed responsibility for the twin suicide bombings in the heart of Baghdad that killed at least 155 people as Iraq's political leadership on Tuesday stepped up efforts to agree on new voting guidelines ahead of January elections.
The militant group known as the Islamic State of Iraq said in a statement posted on the Internet late Monday that its “martyrs ... targeted the dens of infidelity.”
Massive vehicle bombs and suicide attacks have been the hallmark of al-Qaeda, and Iraq-based Sunni insurgents have used similar means and style of attacks with an aiming to overthrow the country's Shiite-dominated government in Baghdad.
The attack Sunday in the heart of the Iraqi capital struck the Justice Ministry and the Baghdad Provincial Administration. It was Iraq's deadliest attacks in two years and it raised more fears about the country's ability to protect itself as it prepares for the January parliamentary elections and the U.S. military withdrawal.
Among the dead were two dozen children, killed on a bus that was leaving a daycare centre near the Justice Ministry at the time of the explosions, said an official at the hospital where the bodies were brought. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
Iraq's senior leaders made progress on a new election law that could ease political tensions and calm popular anger over Sunday's blasts many perceive as a testimony to the government's massive failure to protect its people.
Top officials, including the prime minister, the president and the parliament speaker pledged tighter security after the carnage in Baghdad. They also moved quickly to work out a deal with leaders of political parties on the new election law that will help hold the crucial nationwide vote on time.
The balloting is scheduled for Jan. 16.
Lawmakers have been wrangling for weeks about the law, and observers, including the U.S., had worried that failure to agree on the guidelines might delay the crucial vote.
The al-Qaeda posting on Monday said the group's suicide bombers targeted the “pillars of the Safawi and rejectionist state in the land of caliphate,” referring to the Shiite government in Baghdad and its close ally, Iran.
“One of these selected targets that were hit this time was the 'Ministry of Injustice and Oppression,' the so-called Ministry of Justice, along with the Baghdad Provincial Council,” the militant statement said.
The authenticity of the statement, which appeared on a website 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.
Linked to the wider terror network, the Islamic State of Iraq is an umbrella group within the Arab country that comprises a militant coalition in which al-Qaeda is a leading member.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki blamed those who want to tarnish his government's efforts to rebuild Iraq into a democratic state for Sunday's “terrorist acts.”
“There's wicked political will behind these terrorists acts,” Mr. al-Maliki said in a speech at Baghdad University on Monday.
“We are facing big challenges in the reconstruction process, but while we are building, they are destroying,” Mr. al-Maliki said.
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Iraqis mourn, blame politics for Baghdad blasts
26 Oct 2009 17:41:50 GMT
Source: Reuters
* Hundreds of mourners stream around bomb site
* Residents blame political infighting
* Iraqis fear worse violence ahead
(Adds details on attacks, paragraphs 6-7, toll, paragraph 12, progress on election law, paragraph 15, UN appeal, paragraph 20)
By Muhanad Mohammed and Ahmed Rasheed
BAGHDAD, Oct 26 (Reuters) - The Iraqi government blamed the bloodiest bombings in years on al Qaeda and other extremists, but many ordinary Iraqis think political infighting before next year's election is the cause and fear worse is yet to come.
Hundreds of mourners poured into the area where twin suicide bombs on Sunday killed 155 people, railing against politicians and the security forces in a funeral march, local media showed. Baghdad was ensnared in a traffic jam as the government, facing criticism for the attacks, set up extra checkpoints.
"
The blood of Iraqis is very cheap and I ask, how many victims will it take to convince the government that it has totally failed?" Hameed Salam, a former army officer now driving a taxi cab, shouted in the traffic jam on Monday.
Iraq's 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.
The threat of more attacks looms as rivals seek to undermine Maliki, and insurgents try to upset the electoral process.
Two mini-buses were used in Sunday's attack, circumventing a ban on truck traffic in heavily policed central Baghdad, said the city's security spokesman Major General Qassim al-Moussawi.
One bus contained a tonne of explosives and the other 600-750 kg, he said. Both were driven by suicide bombers from a nearby site, according to aerial images from U.S.-operated airships that hover over the city.
Many Iraqis say they see divisions and infighting ahead of Iraq's second post-invasion national vote as the prime source of instability in the world's 11th largest crude producer.
While violence has fallen since Washington sent thousands of extra troops, attacks are common in the politically-divided nation of 30 million people.
"The government is not in control of the security situation and political leaders quarrel over power," said Alaa Hussain, a former military officer.
"Maliki is not a superman and he cannot take control over the security of the country unless there is cooperation and union between the parties and politicians."
BLOODY DAYS
Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told U.S.-funded al-Hurra television that 129 people died. But police sources said the death toll had reached 155.
Many residents in Baghdad see a hazy connection between political disputes in parliament and violence in the streets. Politicians are currently at loggerheads over a law that will stipulate how the January election is run.
"Haggling between the parties, if they differ on an issue, is reflected in the security situation," said Haider Mohammed, a 34-year-old shop owner.
Parliament has failed to resolve how to conduct the vote in the city of Kirkuk, disputed between Arabs and ethnic Kurds. A council including Maliki and other leaders agreed on Monday to submit a proposal to parliament that they hope will overcome the deadlock, said parliamentary speaker Ayad al-Samarai.
But the impasse has cast doubt over whether the Jan. 16 date is feasible and raised questions about whether politicians can make tough decisions for a nation emerging from years of strife.
Iraq is a far cry from the dark days of sectarian carnage that followed the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. The government says its doors are open for business and it is starting to sign multibillion dollar deals with global oil firms.
Yet, security remains fragile, and officials fear attacks like those on Sunday or the bombings of the finance and foreign ministries in August are aimed at re-igniting sectarian war.
The Iraqi government blames al Qaeda and supporters of Saddam Hussein's former Baath party for the attacks, and has accused Syria of harbouring them, souring relations.
It has also sought a U.N. inquiry into foreign interference, a request Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari renewed on Monday. (Additional reporting by Suadad al-Sahly and Waleed Ibrahim; Writing by Jack Kimball; Editing by Michael Christie)
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UN official heads to Iraq after Baghdad bombings
28 Oct 2009 21:15:27 GMT
Source: Reuters
UNITED NATIONS, Oct 28 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday he was sending a senior official from the world body to Iraq soon to discuss a series of recent deadly bombings in Baghdad.
Earlier this week Iraq renewed a previous request for a U.N. inquiry into the support given by foreign countries to insurgents after twin suicide blasts against government buildings in Baghdad on Sunday killed more than 150 people.
"In response to a request from the government of Iraq, I will send (U.N.) assistant secretary-general Oscar Fernandez-Taranco to Iraq for preliminary consultations related to Iraq's security and sovereignty," Ban told reporters.
He made clear that Fernandez-Taranco would not be launching an investigation. For a formal probe Ban said he would need "a clear mandate by the Security Council."
Iraq has blamed Sunday's attack against the Justice Ministry and the Baghdad provincial governorate, and bombings on Aug. 19 that devastated the Foreign and Finance Ministries, on al Qaeda and supporters of Saddam Hussein's outlawed Baath party.
The government has accused neighboring Syria of providing a safe haven for Baathists plotting attacks.
Asked if Fernandez-Taranco would visit Syria, Ban said the world body would discuss the possibility of expanding the issue beyond the border of Iraq later with countries in the region.
After the Aug. 19 bombings Iraq asked Ban to request that the U.N. Security Council set up an independent international commission of inquiry to look into the attacks. Ban forwarded the Iraqi letter to the council but got no response.
The Iraqi request is similar to one that Lebanon put to the Security Council following the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. The council launched an investigation and set up a tribunal in the Netherlands, but no one has so far been indicted and inquiries continue.
Washington has said it would support a U.N. inquiry. (Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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