Obama condemns Baghdad car bombings
Obama condems 'hateful' Baghdad car bombings
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By Tom Powell. |  |
Sunday, 25, Oct 2009 07:21
By Lewis Bazley.
Two car bomb attacks which have killed at least 135 people in Baghdad reveal the "the hateful and destructive agenda" of those opposed to progress in Iraq, according to US president Barack Obama.
The blasts, which occurred at 1030 local time (0730 GMT), hit the justice ministry and a provincial government office near the Green Zone.
The bombings are the most violent attack in the Iraqi capital since nearly 100 people were killed by truck bombs targeting the foreign and finance ministries on August 19th.
It has not yet been confirmed who was behind Sunday's explosions but government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said former members of Saddam Hussein's government, or al-Qaida militants, could have been responsible.
"The initial analysis shows that it bears the fingerprints of al-Qaeda and the Baathists," he added in a statement.
"The walls collapsed and we had to run out," Yasmeen Afdhal, a 24-year-old employee at the Baghdad Governorate was quoted by the AP news agency as saying.
"I don't know how I'm still alive," shop owner, Hamid Saadi, told Reuters.
"The explosion destroyed everything ... it's like it was an earthquake, nothing is still in its place."
Prime minister Nouri Maliki has visited the site of the provincial office attack and has since issued a statement in response to the blasts.
"These cowardly terrorist attacks must not affect the determination of the Iraqi people to continue their struggle against the remnants of the dismantled regime and al-Qaida terrorists, who committed a brutal crime against civilians," he said.
"They want to cause chaos in the nation, hinder the political process and prevent the parliamentary election."
The blasts shook buildings in downtown Baghdad and sent plumes of smoke into the city's skyline.
It is also believed the number of fatalities and wounded is likely to rise, with 132 deaths and 520 injuries thus far confirmed.
US president Mr Obama has pledged his support to Mr Maliki and president Jalal Talabani and labelled the attacks as an attempt to hamper the drive for progress in Iraq.
"These bombings serve no purpose other than the murder of innocent men, women and children, and they only reveal the hateful and destructive agenda of those who would deny the Iraqi people the future that they deserve," he said in a statement.
British foreign secretary David Miliband said "such acts of terrorism can have no justification, and must be condemned without reservation".