On March 3, Al Qaida was said to have begun its suicide bombing
campaign, Middle East Newsline reported. At least 32 people were killed in coordinated bombings in Baquba,
the capital of the Diyala province, a major Sunni community.
As in previous strikes, the targets were government facilities. Two
bombers blew up their cars in front of army and police facilities, and a
third man, dressed as a police officer, detonated his pack of TNT at a hospital in
Baquba.
"These attacks aim to frighten people from reaching polling stations,"
Diyala spokesman Fakhri Obaidi said. "But I am sure that people will insist
on voting."
[The attacks came as Iraqi security forces captured eight suspected Al
Qaida operatives on March 3 in central and northern Iraq. Some of the
suspects were arrested in an Al Qaida safehouse in Baghdad that contained
material for bombs.]
One of the bombs was said to have targeted Diyala police commander Gen.
Abdul Hussein Al Shimiri. Al Shimiri, who was in Baquba during the bombings,
was not hurt.
Officials said a curfew was imposed throughout Diyala and police and
security forces closed all highways. They said Al Qaida would try to smuggle
cars packed with explosives from or to Diyala, located 80 kilometers north
of Baghdad.
Al Qaida was said to have recruited agents from within the police to
help in the suicide strikes, officials said. They said the network was
receiving data on the vulnerabilities of Iraqi security deployment as well
as help in crossing checkpoints.
Iraqi security forces foiled another mass-casualty strike on March 4 as
soldiers began to cast ballots for parliament. The Iraqi Defense Ministry
said a truck filled with explosives was intercepted near a bridge in the
Jazeera area of the Anbar province. The ministry said the bridge, heavily
used by Iraq Army and security forces, appeared to be the target.
Officials said Al Qaida has established a range of bombing cells in
northern and western Iraq. On Feb. 24, an Al Qaida-aligned bombing
specialist, who fled from Ramadi, was arrested in the northern city of
Suleimaniya.
"ISF believes the suspect is also an emir for Al Qaida in Iraq in both
Baghdad and Mosul and has connections with Ansar Al Sunna," the U.S.
military said.
