Iraqi residents stand next to a damaged vehicle at the scene of a car bomb in Baghdad. — AFP file photoOnce again, just another reminder that al Qaeda in Iraq is alive and well as Baghdad and also the cities of Kirkuk, Dibis and Taji were rocked with bombings this morning - the attacks killed 18 Iraqis and wounded over 70 - certainly this death toll will rise as the day goes by.
From the article at DAWN:
A wave of morning bombings killed 18 Iraqis across several cities on Thursday, shattering weeks of calm in a reminder of the nation’s continued insurgency.
In all, officials said extremists launched nine attacks in Baghdad and the northern Iraqi cities on Kirkuk, Dibis and Taji.
At least 71 people were wounded in the rapid-fire explosions that unfolded over an hour and 15 minutes.
The single deadliest bombing came in Dibis, located near Kirkuk, 180 miles (290 kilometers) north of Baghdad. Kirkuk Police Brig Gen Sarhad Qadir said a parked car exploded in the Sunni Arab village, killing six passers-by and wounding four.
I think the most disturbing part of this wave of attacks today is the fact that it is not only so widespread but so coordinated - the fact that all of these bombings basically took place at the same time is amazing proof that al Qaeda in Iraq still has some centralized leadership and certainly some decent communications going on.
Blasts in Baghdad, northern Iraqi cities kill 18
BAGHDAD:A wave of morning bombings killed 18 Iraqis across several cities on Thursday, shattering weeks of calm in a reminder of the nation’s continued insurgency.
In all, officials said extremists launched nine attacks in Baghdad and the northern Iraqi cities on Kirkuk, Dibis and Taji.
At least 71 people were wounded in the rapid-fire explosions that unfolded over an hour and 15 minutes.
The single deadliest bombing came in Dibis, located near Kirkuk, 180 miles (290 kilometers) north of Baghdad. Kirkuk Police Brig Gen Sarhad Qadir said a parked car exploded in the Sunni Arab village, killing six passers-by and wounding four.
In Baghdad, police said roadside bombs and car explosions targeted security patrols and the nation’s top health official, Health Minister Majeed Hamad Amin, as his convoy was driving him to work.
But bystanders took the brunt of the attacks that killed eight across the Iraqi capital mostly in Shiite neighborhoods.
Amin, an Iraqi Kurd, was not hurt in the attack on his convoy in the capital’s west, but two passers-by were killed and six people were wounded.
Police and hospital officials confirmed the Baghdad casualties but spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
Additionally, two explosions in Kirkuk targeted a police patrol and the provincial investment official, killing three and wounding 21, Qadir said.
And a roadside bomb in the city of Taji, just north of Baghdad, exploded as a security patrol drove by.
One bystander was killed and three policemen were among six people who were wounded in the blast.
The explosions ended nearly a month of quiet in Iraq, where violence waned since the run-up to the Arab League summit that was held in Baghdad at the end of March.
Overall, attacks have dropped sharply nationwide since Iraq threatened to dissolve into civil war five years ago.But bombings and deadly shootings are still common.
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