suicide bomber Monday struck a crowd rushing to help schoolgirls trapped in a bus by an earlier bombing. The Interior Ministry said at least 31 people were killed, the deadliest in a string of blasts that raise doubts about Iraqi security forces as the US prepares to reduce troops.
Residents gather at the scene of bomb attacks in Baghdad November 10, 2008. Two car bombs exploded in central Baghdad on Monday and a suicide bomber blew himself up among police and civilians who rushed to help the wounded, a triple strike that killed 31 people and wounded 71. [Agencies]
The ministry said another 71 people were wounded in the twin blasts, the deadliest attack in Baghdad in six weeks. A third bomb exploded about 130 yards (meters) from the scene in the mostly Shiite Kasrah section of north Baghdad but caused no casualties, police said.
The Iraqi army command gave a much lower casualty figure, five dead and 37 wounded. It was not possible to reconcile the difference.
No group claimed responsibility for the attacks during the morning rush hour. But suspicion fell on al-Qaida in Iraq, which has made suicide bombings against Shiite civilians its signature attack.
In recent weeks, there has been an uptick in small-scale bombings in Baghdad. An Associated Press tally showed at least 19 bombings in the city this month as of Sunday, compared with 28 for all of October and 22 in September.
At least 44 people were killed in Baghdad bombings between Nov. 1 and Sunday, compared with 95 for October and 96 in September, the AP count showed.
Most of the bombings occurred during the morning rush hour, targeting Iraqi police and army patrols, government officials heading for work or commuters, in an attempt to undermine public confidence.
The neighborhood where Monday's bombings occurred is predominantly Shiite, but it is part of the largely Sunni district of Azamiyah, which had been an al-Qaida stronghold until Sunni tribes broke with the terror movement last year.
Col. John Hort, who commands US troops in Azamiyah, called the attack a "despicable, cowardly act of terrorism against peaceful people" with "absolutely no military connotation."
An Interior Ministry official speculated that extremists may have sought to "send a message" to President-elect Barack Obama about "the real situation in Iraq," pressure the government not to sign a new security agreement with the United States or embarrass the ruling parties ahead of regional elections in January.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was offering speculation.
Police said the first bomb went off as a minibus passed by carrying young girls to school along a busy commercial street lined with shops and small restaurants popular with local people for breakfast.
Associated Press Television News video showed the vehicle riddled with shrapnel and the interior smeared with blood. Girls' shoes were scattered about the floor.
Witnesses said the suicide bomber mingled among rescuers and stunned bystanders, then detonated an explosive belt which probably accounted for most of the casualties.
The blasts shattered storefronts along the street and set more than a dozen cars on fire.
"I rushed to the site and saw several girl students trapped in a bus and screaming for help," said Abbas Fadhil, 45, who was working in a nearby restaurant.
"We took the girls outside the bus and rushed them to the hospitals," he said, standing in front of the damaged restaurant, his white shirt soaked with blood.
"This is a criminal act that targeted innocent people who were heading to work and school while the politicians are busy with their personal greed and ambitions," Fadhil said.
Ahmed Riyadh, 54, owner of a nearby grocery, said the bombing was a "vicious attack" that "did not differentiate between Shiites and Sunnis."
"We are fed up with such attacks and we want only to live in peace," he said. "The politicians should work hard and set aside their differences to stop the bloodshed."
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