A new surge of violence hits Iraq

In the deadliest insurgent strike since U.S. forces withdrew from Iraq’s major cities on June 30, a series of explosions in the heart of Baghdad left at least 95 dead and hundreds wounded.

What happened

In the deadliest insurgent strike since U.S. forces withdrew from Iraq’s major cities on June 30, a series of explosions in the heart of Baghdad this week left at least 95 dead and hundreds wounded. Demonstrating that the insurgency still has the capacity to strike at will against major institutions, suicide bombers detonated vehicles near the Finance and Foreign ministries, sending bodies and debris flying. At about the same time, two mortar shells landed in a busy central Baghdad market area, damaging one of the bridges spanning the Tigris River and killing at least six people. Iraqi officials blamed the attacks on “remnants of the Baath Party, criminal gangs,” and Sunni extremists. “The whole thing is just so disgusting,” said U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill. “They’re just psychopathic.”

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