Two separate suicide car bomb attacks, one near the prime minister’s party headquarters in Baghdad, killed at least six Iraqi security troops and left 39 other Iraqis injured today as insurgents pressed their deadly campaign to disrupt national elections.
The first blast by an explosive-laden car near Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi’s party headquarters killed two police officers and one civilian and injured 25 other people. The driver also died
The secular Shiite leader was not inside the building in Baghdad’s western district of Harithiya.
The second attack took place in Balad, 50 miles north of the capital, killing four Iraqi National Guard Soldiers and wounding 14. The car driver died in the suicide attack.
Car bombings have become a standard feature of the deadly insurgency in Iraq ahead of the elections scheduled for January 30.
A car bombing in Balad yesterday killed at least 22 national guardsmen and their driver. Ten other people were killed in separate attacks.
US officials have warned of violence ahead of the landmark vote for a national assembly, and the guerrillas have made good on those fears with tragic ease.
Iraq’s poorly equipped security forces usually have far less training than American troops, and attacks on them usually result in more casualties.