3 Suicide Bombers Attack Baghdad Hotels, Killing 36 People
Officials concerned insurgents could stage high-profile attacks to disrupt national parliamentary elections scheduled for March 7
Photo: AP
Three large explosions ripped through Baghdad Monday, killing at least 36 people and wounding more than 70 others. In the midst of the chaos, the Iraqi government announced the execution of "Chemical Ali" one of Saddam Hussein's most notorious lieutenants.
The series of explosions hit the center of the capital in mid-afternoon. Iraqi officials said car bombs were detonated outside the Babylon, Ishtar Sheraton, and al-Hamra hotels. The buildings house foreign aid and news organizations and are frequented by government officials.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Lawmaker and national security advisor Moafak al Robaie said they bore the hallmarks of the al-Qaida offshoot in Iraq.
Al Robaei told al-Arabia television that the bombers targeted civilian areas to show the government is weak and incapable of protecting the public. He also conceded the attacks showed a clear defect in national security.
The explosions were similar to other major security lapses in Baghdad in the past six months. In August, October and December, bombers managed to pass through numerous checkpoints and set off coordinated attacks that killed hundreds of people.
Iraqi and western security officials have warned that militants might step up their attacks ahead of parliamentary elections planned for March.
There are also tensions over efforts to ban some 500 candidates from the election, most of them Sunnis, although it was reported Monday that 50 of those placed on a list will now be allowed to take part.
AP
In another development Monday, the government said it had put to death Ali Hassan al-Majid. Also known as "Chemical Ali," al-Majid was a military and intelligence chief under the government of his cousin Saddam Hussein and led numerous brutal campaigns against domestic opponents.
He earned his grim nickname for the use of poison gas during an attack against the residents of Halabja in Kurdish northern Iraq in 1988.
The Iraqi judiciary had sentenced him to death four times, the last time earlier this month. In addition to the crimes against the Kurds, he was found guilty of repression campaigns against Iraqi Shi'ites.
Three successive suicide car bombs in Baghdad, capital of Iraq killed at least 36 people, according to the Iraqi ministry. The incident occurred just before the country's election, scheduled for March 7.

"There were three explosions, one near the Sheraton hotel the other near the Babylon hotel. The third we are checking into," stated Baghdad security spokesman Major General Qassim al-Moussawi.

The Ministry of Interior, Iraq stated that 36 people had died and 71 wounded. The three explosions occurred in rapid succession and sent smoke clouds in the sky. The first bomb exploded at 3.40 pm. Subsequently, fire engines arrived at the hotels and the police and soldiers together barred entry.

The next blast occurred at the Babylon hotel, which is often used by the government for meeting. Subsequently, another car bomb blasted the Hamra hotel compound, which hosts multiple news agencies.

According to witnesses, gunmen dressed in business suits had fired the checkpoint guards. During the firing, the building gate was opened. The van entered and was detonated. The explosion took place in a section where there were residential homes. The blast opened a gigantic crater, 12 feet wide and 6 feet deep only about 50 feet from the hotel. It completely destroyed the house just in the front of the building, where several bodies were discovered by rescue workers. 

Um Riyadh, resident of the demolished house escaped with multiple injuries. "We lost the house. We lost everything. Why should I stay in Iraq? I’m going to leave. There’s no other solution.", said the victim of the attack.

Although no group claimed responsibility, Saad Mutalabi, an adviser to the Iraqi Cabinet, blamed Al Qaeda. "It is a signature of Al Qaeda. I don't think any of the political forces in Iraq would commit such an atrocity. It would not benefit any of them.", said he.

The attack collided with the execution of Ali Hassan Majid, or "Chemical Ali".

Earlier this month, Iraqi security forces, aided American intelligence agencies, had barred a massive attack on the city. They had seized several pounds of explosives and had brought the city to a temporary standstill.

The earlier attacks were allegedly executed by Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, in alliance with Saddam Hussein’s Baath party. This has not been proved as of now.

Multiple bombings have killed several people in Iraq, in the past few months. Iraqi authorities fear that such attacks may have been carried out to disrupt the forthcoming the general elections of Iraq.