Global General
Suicide bombers target embassies in Iraq, kill 42
(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-04-05 10:31
 |
Large Medium Small |
|
 Residents gather around a man mourning the loss of his relatives after a bomb attack near the Egyptian Embassy in Baghdad's Mansour district April 4, 2010. [Agencies] |
The attackers wore suicide vests and drove cars laden with explosives, said Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, a spokesman for the city's operations command center. Guards at the Egyptian Consulate opened fire on one of the attackers as he drove toward them, but they were unable to stop him.
At least two other planned attacks were thwarted.
The official said Iraqi forces were tipped off about a possible attack against diplomatic targets and had started beefing up security Saturday, which he credited with keeping the embassies from serious damage.
"We were fortunate they weren't able to reach their targets," the official said.
While overall violence has dropped considerably in Iraq since 2006 and 2007, the ability of insurgents to carry out well-planned attacks against prominent targets shows that significant security lapses remain. Many fear such attacks will complicate American efforts to speed up troop withdrawals in the coming months.
On Friday, gunmen trying to pass themselves off as US and Iraqi soldiers raided a Sunni village outside Baghdad and killed at least 24 people in an execution-style attack, apparently targeting a Sunni group that revolted against al-Qaida in Iraq.
The killings were reminiscent of those that plagued Iraq at the height of the sectarian bloodshed of 2006 and 2007, when men, sometimes dressed in police or army uniforms, snatched people from their homes at night.
After Sunday's attacks, US military spokesman Capt. Jay Ostrich said American forces, including explosives disposal teams, were assisting Iraqi troops at the government's request. He said the US military is "ready to support any further requests for assistance" from Iraqi authorities.
Sunday's bombings were among the worst this year, but there have been deadlier attacks recently.
Late last month, twin bombings near a restaurant north of Baghdad killed 57. On February 1, a female suicide bomber killed at least 54 people when she detonated explosives hidden beneath a cloak while mingling among Shiite pilgrims on the outskirts of Baghdad.
On January 25, suicide bombings of three hotels favored by Western journalists killed more than 40 people, and on December 8, a wave of coordinated attacks targeted high-profile government sites in Baghdad, killing at least 127.
