Iraqi capital rocked by blasts that kill many Skip to main content

Iraqi capital rocked by blasts that kill many


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The explosions shattered a period of relative calm after March's elections
Three car bombs have hit the centre of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, in quick succession, killing at least 30 people.
The attacks, which injured about 160 people, appear to have been aimed at foreign embassies.

One bomb struck right near the Iranian embassy. The Egyptian, Syrian and German missions, in the Mansour district, were also affected.
One bomb struck near the offices of a leading pro-Iranian political figure, Ahmed Chalabi.
The bombings shatter a period of relative calm after last month's parliamentary elections.
No-one has said they organised the attacks.
Gunshots were heard as emergency services rushed to the scene.
The BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad says Sunday's the explosions went off within a few minutes of each other shaking the whole of central Baghdad and sending plumes of smoke into the sky.
Our correspondent says the insurgents want to send a message to the outside world that Iraq remains an unstable place.
A spokesman for the political group headed by Ahmad Chalabi, the Iraqi National Congress, said that its headquarters close to the Syrian embassy had been targeted by a suicide car bomber, and that many of its guards and employees were among the casualties.
There was a similar series of three attacks in January, aimed at big hotels. Last year, in August, October and December, much bigger bombs were detonated close to government buildings, killing hundreds of people.

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