Iraqi bloodbath kills 60 as blasts rip through cities

BOMB blasts ripped through more than a dozen Iraqi cities yesterday morning, killing 60 security forces and civilians in the worst attack this year.

The bloodbath came less than two weeks after Iraqi officials said they would be open to a small number of US forces staying in the country past a December 31 withdrawal deadline.

The blasts were coordinated and included parked car bombs, roadside bombs, a suicide bomber driving a vehicle that rammed into a police station and even bombs attached to lamp posts.

The scope of the violence — seven explosions went off in different towns in Diyala province alone — emphasised that insurgents are still able to carry out attacks despite repeated crackdowns by Iraqi and US forces.

Twin explosions rocked the market in Kut, where the worst violence took place, 160km southeast of Baghdad.

Police spokesman Dhur-gam Mohammed Hassan said the first bomb went off in a freezer used to keep drinks cold. As rescuers and onlookers gathered, a parked car bomb exploded, killing 35 people and injuring 64.

In Diyala province, seven bombs went off in the capital of Baquba and towns nearby.

Five soldiers were killed in Baquba while five other people were killed in other attacks around the province.

Just outside the holy city of Najaf, a suicide car bomber slammed his vehicle into a checkpoint outside a police building. Four people were killed and 32 injured.

Outside the nearby city of Karbala, a parked car bomb near a police station killed three policemen and injured 14 others.

In the northern city of Tikrit, two men wearing explosives belts drove into a heavily guarded government compound wearing military uniforms, which helped them avoid notice.

The men parked their vehicle and walked to a building where anti-terrorism police work. When the men approached, the guards ordered them to stop and opened fire.

One bomber was killed but the other got inside, blew himself up and killed three people.

In the northern city of Kirkuk, a car bomb exploded next to a police patrol, injuring four police officers.

About 30 minutes later, a motorcycle with a bomb planted inside it exploded, killing one person.

Late on Sunday, four bombs also blew up near a Syrian orthodox church in Kirkuk, but no one was injured.

In Baghdad, a parked car bomb exploded near a convoy carrying officials from the ministry of higher education.

Eight people were wounded, but the minister was not in the convoy.

Earlier this month, Iraqi political leaders announced they would begin negotiations with the US to determine whether to keep a small number of US forces in the country past December 31.

All US troops must leave by the end of this year, but both Iraqi and US officials have expressed concern about the ability of Iraqi forces to protect the country.

Theodore Karasik, a Middle East security expert, said al-Qaida in Iraq is trying to disrupt the internal Iraqi political process and send a message to the Americans.

“It seems that al-Qaida in Iraq is playing a propaganda game at the same time it’s trying to show that it can still carry out deadly violence,” Karasik said.

“If the US extends its military presence, al-Qaida in Iraq can use it as a tool by saying, ‘Look, the Americans have reversed their decision to leave and are staying on as occupiers.’ They could use this as a justification for more attacks.”