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Two suicide car bombs were detonated in Baghdad in front of government buildings killing at least 136 people. This was the worst attack during the year. Such massive car bombs have been the handiwork of Sunni insurgents seeking to overthrow the Shiite-dominated government. At least 25 staff members of the Baghdad Provincial Council were killed. The blasts occurred just a few hundred yards from the Green Zone that houses the US Embassy as well as the prime minister’s offices. They surpassed the attacks against two government ministries in August 2009 that killed more than 100 people and were a big blow to the efforts of the government of PM al-Maliki to bring order to the country.1
In other developments, Iraqi MPs failed to agree on a new electoral law which was intended to establish more transparency ahead of general elections scheduled to be held on January 16, 2010. Stalemate persisted over the status of the oil-rich province of Kirkuk. Parliamentary speaker Iyad Al Samarrai told reporters that the issue had been referred to a senior political council made up of Prime Minister al-Maliki, President Talabani and leaders of major political parties.2
- 1. “Car bombs in Baghdad kill 136,” Khaleej Times, October 25, 2009, at http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2...
- 2. “Iraqi MPs fail to reach agreement on election law,” Khaleej Times, October 21, 2009, at http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2...