Iraq Arrests 11 Top Officials After Baghdad Strikes

Security Officers Face Questions About Failures

The Iraqi government has reported that it has arrested 11 high ranking security officers just one day after coordinated bombings tore through strategic locations across the capital city of Baghdad in the deadliest incident seen in 18 months.

The 11 are facing questioning about what officials say are massive security failures leading to the attacks, but so far it remains unclear exactly what they’re being charged with. The government has also announced that it is suspending the removal of fortifications across the city and is reviewing its procedures.

The death toll from the bombings has continued to rise, over 100 according to some accounts. The total casualties now numbers well into the thousands, with the official figure showing 1,203 wounded in the attack.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki blamed Sunni insurgents for the blasts. Yesterday other officials in the Maliki government pointed to remnants of the Ba’athist regime that was in power before the 2003 US invasion. So far no one has claimed credit for the strikes.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.