Iraqi police and medical sources said that a series of blasts rocked Baghdad, killing at least 86 people and wounding some 300 others. According to the AP, the attacks in the Iraqi capital started shortly after 10 a.m. on Wednesday, striking first near the finance ministry in northern Baghdad and then shortly later, near the foreign ministry next to the heavily fortified Green Zone.
The officials said the biggest blast was a car bomb explosion near the foreign ministry, which killed dozens and injured hundreds. Acording to them, five other explosions, mostly from car bombs, tore through Baghdad, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens more.
It was the deadliest coordinated attack in Iraq so far this year. Iraqi officials blamed al-Qaeda in Iraq. "The terrorists are trying to rekindle the cycle of violence of previous years by creating an atmosphere of tension among the Iraqi people," Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said in a statement. "Our security forces must be more alert and firm. Also, the political groups must unite."
