7 Killed in Qaida-Style Iraq Raid on Government HQ
Insurgents set off two car bombs and two suicide blasts, killing at least seven, in an al-Qaida style raid on government offices in central Iraq on Tuesday, mirroring a similar attack in March.
The dozens of gunmen taking part in the mayhem in Diyala's provincial capital of Baqouba also exchanged gunfire with Iraqi security forces, with officials warning that the toll, which included 17 wounded, could rise.
The attack raises concerns over the capabilities of Iraq's security forces, with just months to go before U.S. soldiers must leave the country under the terms of a bilateral security pact.
An official in Diyala's security command center said insurgents had initially set off two car bombs at the perimeter wall of the province's government headquarters at around 9:30 am (06:30 GMT), opening the way for gunmen to storm the compound.
Two suicide bombs followed shortly thereafter inside the Diyala government building, with the violence leaving at least seven dead and 17 wounded, according to the official.
Ahmed Alwan, a doctor at Baqouba's main hospital, said earlier that medics had treated 10 wounded but he and other officials noted the toll could rise further. An interior ministry official put the toll at one dead and six wounded.
Tolls often vary widely in the immediate aftermath of violence in Iraq, with officials from various departments citing different figures.
The Diyala security official and an Agence France Presse journalist at the scene reported clashes inside the compound between the insurgents, armed with machine guns, and Iraqi security forces.
Diyala province, which is majority Sunni but with a substantial Shiite population, lies north of Baghdad and was a stronghold of al-Qaida during the peak of sectarian violence in Iraq in 2006 and 2007.
Unrest has declined in the province and nationwide since that time, but Diyala remains one of Iraq's most dangerous regions.
Attacks have seemingly been on the rise, however, since the beginning of the year, according to private security firm AKE Group. It last week said violent incidents averaged more than 10 per day in May, up from four to five daily attacks in January.
Tuesday's violence came as Diyala's provincial council was holding its weekly meeting, and closely mirrored a similar attack, claimed by al-Qaida, on Salaheddin governorate offices in Tikrit that left 58 people dead on March 29.
That attack saw gunmen swarm the provincial government building after a suicide bomber cleared the way. Security reinforcements that arrived 20 minutes later were met by a car bomb, and for more than five hours, the gunmen had kept security forces at bay.
Some 45,000 U.S. troops remain stationed in Iraq, but must all withdraw by the end of the year. American officials have been pressing their counterparts in Baghdad to decide quickly whether or not to extend the military presence beyond year-end.
The issue is complicated by bickering within Iraq's national unity government, with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki still having not appointed ministers of defense and interior since elections 16 months ago.
Maliki holds both positions on an interim basis.
Violence in Iraq is down from its peak in 2006 and 2007 but attacks remain common. A total of 177 people were killed in violence in May, according to official figures.