Series of attacks in Baghdad on December 22, 2011

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The series of attacks in Baghdad on December 22, 2011 is a series of bomb attacks on civilian targets in Baghdad . 69 people were officially killed and more than 169 injured.

The Iraqi branch of al-Qaeda , the " Organization of Islamic State of Iraq ", claimed responsibility for the attacks .

The attacks were the largest in Iraq since the series of attacks in August 2011 and, partly because they took place four days after the official end of the occupation of Iraq since 2003 , attracted international attention.

background

After the end of the occupation of Iraq in 2003, a crisis broke out in the Iraqi government. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki issued an arrest warrant for Vice President Tarik al-Hashimi for terrorism and urged Salih al-Mutlak to be released . Both are prominent members of the Iraqi National Movement, which then boycotted the Council of Representatives .

Course and goals

On the morning of December 22, 2011 between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m., four car bombs and ten unconventional explosive devices exploded in Baghdad .

All targets were civilian facilities. These included a cinema, a hospital, schools, kindergartens, collection points for day laborers and the anti-corruption authority.

These were located in eleven different districts of Baghdad. Most of the neighborhoods are mostly inhabited by Shiites. Specifically, the districts of Karrada , Al-Wasirija , Al-Schaab and Al-Alwija were affected.

Most of the shops in Baghdad remained closed after the attacks. The streets, usually characterized by traffic jams, were mostly deserted.

Karrada - Anti-Corruption Authority and Hospital :

Twelve people died and 35 were injured in the attack on the anti-corruption agency in the Karrada district. A nun-run hospital across the street was badly hit. Only a car bomb exploded and a short time later the belt of a suicide bomber.

A total of three car bombs exploded in Karrada, according to later reports.

According to eyewitnesses, the assassin drove an ambulance. At least 25 people died and over 62 were injured in the attack in Karrada.

The bombs left a crater several meters wide. A nearby apartment building was torn apart by the force of the explosion.

Bus station :

One attack hit a bus station in central Baghdad. This is frequented by many workers.

Cinema :

Two explosive devices exploded near a cinema.

Al-Amal :

According to the security forces, seven people died in the Al-Amal district .

Halawi District :

In Halawi District two bombs exploded on the roadside.

Reactions and investigations

Iraq

Iyad Allawi , leader of the Iraqi national movement , blamed the Iraqi government for the attacks. It said the violence will continue as long as groups are excluded from the political process.

Vice-President Tariq al-Hashimi accused the Iraqi government and security forces of complicity two days after the crime. It is not possible to carry out attacks of this magnitude without their approval.

The Iraqi branch of al-Qaeda , the " Organization of Islamic State of Iraq ", claimed responsibility for the attacks . According to the announcement on the Internet, they should help the Sunnis sitting in prisons and represent a memory of those who were executed. In the announcement, the group criticized the Iraqi government, according to Sumaria News .

International

Jay Carney , spokesman of the White House , said that the bomber had only to murder and hatred and otherwise persecuted any agenda. Attempts to disrupt the transition are doomed to failure.

US Vice President Joe Biden held a conference call on the series of attacks with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani .

The German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle condemned the attacks and emphasized that terrorist forces must not succeed in stopping the reconstruction process. He also called on the political forces in Iraq to work together.

Martin Kobler , United Nations Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq , sharply condemned the attacks and urged the Iraqi government to shoulder its responsibilities.

Web links

 Wikinews: Baghdad shaken by terror again  - news
  • Hans Monath: "Iraq will not fall apart". Attacks. In: The time . December 27, 2011, accessed on December 28, 2011 (Interview with Martin Kobler, United Nations Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq, on the effects of the series of attacks and the likelihood of civil war).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Al Qaeda offshoot is committed to series of attacks. In: Frankfurter Rundschau . December 27, 2011, accessed December 27, 2011 .
  2. ↑ a b Al-Qaida is committed to the series of attacks in Baghdad. In: The time. December 27, 2011, accessed December 28, 2011 .
  3. ↑ a b c d e Reiner Hermann: Dozens of dead in a series of attacks in Baghdad. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . December 22, 2011, accessed December 22, 2011 .
  4. ↑ a b c Inga Rogg: Political crisis leads to violence. In: the daily newspaper . December 22, 2011, accessed December 27, 2011 .
  5. ↑ a b c Dozens of dead in terrorist attacks. In: the daily newspaper. December 22, 2011, accessed December 27, 2011 .
  6. ↑ a b Kareem Raheem: Iraq bombings: More than 60 killed in attacks just days after US troop withdrawal
  7. ↑ December 22, 2011, Deadliest Day In Baghdad Since Beginning Of The Year
  8. ↑ Extremists are driving Iraq into confrontation. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . December 22, 2011, accessed December 28, 2011 .
  9. ↑ Michael S. Schmidt: Blasts Rock Baghdad as Political Crisis in Iraq Deepens. In: The New York Times . December 22, 2011, accessed December 28, 2011 .
  10. ^ Bloodbath in Baghdad. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . December 22, 2011, accessed December 28, 2011 .
  11. ↑ Series of bomb attacks shakes Baghdad. In: The time. December 22, 2011, accessed December 28, 2011 .
  12. ↑ Baghdad blasts: Hashemi accuses government over attacks. In: BBC News . December 24, 2011, accessed December 28, 2011 .
  13. ↑ a b Bombs rock Baghdad, raising fears of sectarian war. In: USA Today . Retrieved December 28, 2011 .
  14. ↑ At least 65 dead in series of attacks in Baghdad. In: Frankfurter Rundschau. December 22, 2011, accessed December 28, 2011 .
  15. ↑ Hans Monath: "Iraq will not fall apart". In: The time. December 27, 2011, accessed December 28, 2011 .