In Baghdad At least 57 people were killed and dozens injured in the explosions on Monday about a dozen of the biggest attacks to take place consecutively in Iraq since the beginning of the year. The blast was the deadliest in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut, where two bomb attacks killed at least 34 people dead and 68 wounded.
Followed by a car bomb in central Kut, Diaa Eddin Khalil, the head of Kut Health Directorate, told DPA. Authorities imposed a curfew in all cities where the attacks took place. A spokesman said the Interior Ministry had banned the security and police vehicles parking on the side of the road to prevent further attacks on security personnel. In the southern city of Najaf, four people died in two consecutive blasts east of the city. Police sources said 20 people were injured in the attacks. Another seven people were killed in Kerbala, also south of the capital, Baghdad, when a car bomb exploded outside a courthouse there. However, security prevented journalists from approaching the scene. Meanwhile, in the central city of Tikrit, three men stormed a government building, killing three officers. The first, wearing an explosive belt, blew himself up at the entrance of the Office of Terrorism, killing two policemen. The second man was shot and killed in a shootout with security, while the third fled the scene after killing a policeman and wounding 10 security officers. Nine people were killed in central cities of Baquba and Ramadi and the northern cities of Mosul and Kirkuk. Parliament President, Osama al-Nujeify accused the security forces and government of being behind the attacks.
"I place the responsibility on officials in charge of the security bodies and the government for those violations, that killed many innocent citizens," al-Nujeify said. Al-Nujeify demanded the "uncovering of the reasons and people" behind the explosions and confirmed the "necessity of boosting efforts, in order to prevent such incidents in the future."
The security cabinet three portfolios remain vacant in the middle of disputes between the political groups on candidates. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has been in charge of interior, defense and national security ministries from the beginning of the year. Despite the violence in Iraq has declined significantly since its peak in 2006-07, the fear of instability persists as gunmen to carry out attacks against security forces. Iraq also continues to negotiate with the United States on the presence of U.S. troops in the country beyond the withdrawal deadline agreed. Reports indicate that the two countries are discussing the possibility of some U.S. troops remain in the country to train Iraqi troops. There are just under 50,000 U.S. troops still in Iraq, which was supposed to leave the country later this year under an agreement negotiated in 2008.
