A wave of attacks killed 49 people in more than a dozen Iraqi cities yesterday, the anniversary of the US-led invasion of the country and just days before Baghdad hosts a landmark Arab summit.
Not one of my colleagues is alive; I will never forget their screams as long as I live
The violence, which left 250 people wounded, bore the hallmarks of Al-Qaeda, which typically tries to launch coordinated nationwide mass-casualty bombing campaigns.
No group immediately claimed responsibility, however.
The attacks were swiftly condemned by the parliament speaker as a bid by the jihadist group to derail this month’s summit, while United Nations envoy Martin Kobler described them as “atrocious” and White House spokesman Jay Carney said the US “strongly condemn” the violence.
Bombings and shootings rocked 18 towns and cities spanning the northern oil hub of Kirkuk and the Shiite shrine city of Karbala, south of Baghdad, from 7 a.m. (0400 GMT), in Iraq’s deadliest violence in more than two months.
“We lost everything,” said Mohammed Sobheh, a policeman wounded in the Kirkuk attack. “Not one of my colleagues is alive; they were all killed.”
“I will never forget their screams as long as I live.”
In central Baghdad, a car bomb exploded in the car park opposite the foreign ministry, despite dramatically heightened security in the capital in preparation for the March 27-29 Arab League summit.
At least three people were killed and nine wounded, officials said, underscoring concerns over Iraq’s ability to maintain security for the meeting. Parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi condemned the “brutal criminal” attacks, and said they were part of efforts by Al-Qaeda to “derail the Arab summit, and keep Iraq feeling the effects of violence and destruction.”
Following the attacks, the government declared a week of public holidays from March 25 to April 1.
Coupled with Kurdish New Year festival Nowruz today and the weekly Muslim day of prayer on Friday, much of Iraq will be largely closed until after the summit.
Security forces have mooted the possibility of imposing a city-wide curfew on March 29, when Arab leaders are expected in Baghdad.
Yesterday’s deadliest attacks were in Kirkuk and Karbala, where a total of 26 people died.
In ethnically mixed Kirkuk, a suicide bomber blew up a vehicle at a police building, killing 13 and wounding 60, according to Karim Wali, director of the city’s hospital. The vast majority of casualties were police.