Iraqis chant anti-government slogans as they wave national flags and hold posters of slain protesters in Fallujah, 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Feb. 1, 2013. Last week, five protesters and two Iraqi soldiers were killed in clashes in Fallujah. Tens of thousands of Sunni protesters blocked a major highway in western Iraq on Friday, as an al-Qaida-affiliated group called on Sunnis to take up arms against the Shiite-led government. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)
Al-Qaida affiliate claims Iraq ministry assault
Published: 07:15:26 AM, Sun 17 March 2013 UTC
BAGHDAD (AP) — An al-Qaida-affiliated group in Iraq has claimed responsibility for a carefully planned assault on the Justice Ministry in downtown Baghdad last week. The attack, involving car bombs and gunmen disguised as police, killed at least 24 people.
In a statement posted online on Sunday, the Islamic State of Iraq said the "blessed raid" was "vengeance for the Sunni women" held in the prisons of the Shiite-led government. It described the ministry building as a "tool to fight, terrorize, jail, torture and kill Sunnis."
The Thursday attack in downtown Baghdad came less than a week before the 10th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, showing how vulnerable this country remains to insurgent attacks.
Tags:
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