Al Qaida did not claim responsibility for the strikes. But officials said the bombings and mortar fire reflected a previous series of coordinated attacks around Iraq in mid-2010, Middle East Newsline reported.

Officials acknowledged that Al Qaida has monitored Iraqi police and security force deployment over the last three days. They cited police reinforcements in wake of an Al Qaida-aligned attack on a church on Oct. 31 in which 58 people were killed.

"Their activities reflected a high degree of intelligence," an official said.

Officials said Al Qaida employed a range of assets in their latest attacks, which took place over a course of four hours and injured more than 200. They cited car bombs, roadside bombs, a suicide motorcycle bomber and mortars. They said the most lethal attacks took place in Baghdad's Sadr City, headquarters of the Iranian-financed militia, Mahdi Army.

Al Qaida was also believed to have infiltrated the military and police. Officials said Al Qaida has recruited scores of operatives from the Sunni-dominated police auxiliary force, Sahwa.

"There is a security breach and we are taking responsibility for this," Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammed Askari said.

The United States has been alarmed by Al Qaida's resilience amid the American troop withdrawal from Iraq. As Al Qaida bombs exploded in Baghdad a U.S. government report warned of a breakdown in Iraq despite American diplomacy.

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