Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
BAGHDAD, Iraq – On April 9, a triple bombing struck the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. The attack killed forty people. The bombings, located near foreign embassies in the Iraqi capital, also wounded over two hundred people. The bombings appeared to target the Egyptian, Syrian, Iranian and German embassies. The group Al Qaeda in Iraq has claimed responsibility for the attacks, making the announcement on the internet.
Two of the explosions that struck on April 9 were suicide attacks that went after the Egyptian consulate and the Iranian embassy. They went off within a minute of each other in Mansour, a well educated suburb on the western side of the city. A few minutes later, a third suicide bomber blew his vehicle up. The explosion took place close to the city center. A number of Iraqi guards working for foreign missions were among those killed int the blast. The Iranian, Egyptian, German and Syrians all claimed damage and injuries caused by the blasts.
Al Qaeda in Iraq, referred to as the Islamic State of Iraq (or ISI) posted on militant forums online that the blasts were the “fifth wave’ of their campaign of mass causality attacks on government targets in Iraq. The campaign began in mid 2009 according the SITE Intelligence Group. SITE is a US based group group. The statement also mentioned that all embassies and international political organizations the have dealings with the central Baghdad government were being considered as legitimate targets.
The statement also read that “the mujahedeen will not hesitate to strike, wherever (the Iraqi government) is located and no matter the level of its fortification.” In another statement posted on extremist online forums, the ISI denied all involvement six separate blasts that killed at least thirty five people on April 6. The blasts also destroyed residential buildings in the mostly Shi’ite neighborhoods.
The embassy bombings are part of a recent string of violence around the Iraqi capital that has killed roughly one hundred twenty people in a week. It is suggested that the bloodshed marks an attempt by insurgents to take advantage of the political uncertainty that has followed the March 7 Iraqi elections.
For more information, please see:
AFP – Al-Qaeda in Iraq claims Baghdad Embassy Bombings – 9 April 2010
Associated Press – Iraq al-Qaida Group Says It’s Behind Embassy Hits – 9 April 2010
BBC – Al-Qaeda in Iraq Group Claims Embassy Bombings – 9 April 2010
Press TV – Extremists Claim Responsibility For Baghdad Blasts – 9 April 2010
Washington Post – Group Linked to Al-Qaeda in Iraq Claims Embassy Bombings – 9 April 2010
