Attacks in more than a dozen cities across Iraq killed 67 people on Monday, including 40 in twin blasts blamed on al Qaeda in the southern city of Kut, in the country's bloodiest day in more than a year. The surge of violence raises questions over the capabilities of Iraq's forces after its leaders agreed to open talks with the United States over a military training mission to last beyond a projected year-end American withdrawal.
The attacks, which took place in 17 cities and also wounded more than 300 people, were quickly condemned by Iraqi leaders, with parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi blaming security leaders for unspecified "violations." In the worst attack, a roadside bomb in the centre of Kut, 160 kilometres (100 miles) south of Baghdad, at 8:00 am (0500 GMT) was followed minutes later by a nearby car bomb, medical and security officials said.
"I was on my way to my shop in the market and suddenly I felt myself being thrown to the ground," said 26-year-old Saadun Muftin, speaking from the city's Karama hospital. "After that I found myself in the hospital with wounds all over my body." Another shopkeeper, Mohammed Jassim, described "smoke everywhere" in the square where the blasts took place.
Ghalid Rashid Khazaa, health spokesman for Wasit province, of which Kut is the capital, put the toll at 40 dead and 65 wounded, with both figures including women and children. The attack was the worst single incidence of violence in Iraq since March 29, when al Qaeda commandos staged a massive assault on provincial government offices in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, eventually killing 58 people.
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki condemned Monday's attacks, and said those who carried them out "won't get away with these crimes." "The security forces should not let these killers breathe. ... Any respite means that we are putting Iraqi blood at risk." The violence, the deadliest since May 2010, shattered a relative calm in Iraq during the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began at the start of August.