Nearly 70 killed in attacks across Iraq

A series of blasts and gunshots ripped across Iraq on Monday, killing at least 60 people in a day of bloodshed that indicated the nation's security forces may be overwhelmed by insurgents as American soldiers withdraw later this year.


Baghdad— A series of blasts and gunshots ripped across Iraq on Monday, killing at least 60 people in a day of bloodshed that indicated the nation's security forces may be overwhelmed by insurgents as American soldiers withdraw later this year.


The sprawling attacks, including suicide bombers, car explosions and gunmen, struck from north to south throughout the morning in what appeared to be part of a coordinated plan. Soldiers, policemen and market shoppers were targeted in Najaf, Kut, Baghdad, Baqouba and other provinces.


It was one of the most vicious days in months and struck in the middle of the holy month of Ramadan. The deadliest attack was in Kut when an explosion whirled through a market place. As onlookers gathered minutes later a car bomb detonated, killing at least 33 people and injuring 77, according to a security official.


In Diyala province, a series of car bombs and shootings left 14 people dead in a region known for Al Qaeda fighters. In Najaf, a suicide bomber detonated and five minutes later a parked car exploded near a police building, killing two police officers and four civilians. Five security officers and a counterterrorism chief were killed in suicide bombings in Tikrit.


Gunfire and explosions echoed through the capital. A car bomb exploded near a motorcade carrying an official from the Higher Education Ministry, killing one passerby and wounding seven police and civilians. Al Arabiya TV reported that a curfew had been imposed on several regions.


Iraq is debating whether or not to ask a small contingent of U.S. forces to stay past the deadline, but no official request has been made yet, U.S. officials have said.


The day’s worst violence happened in Kut, a large city in central Iraq about 150 miles from Baghdad. Insurgents detonated a bomb at about 8:30 a.m. in a crowded area near a jewelry market, according to Dhiaa Al Deen Al Aabudi, the city’s health director. About 10 minutes later, a car bomb detonated in the same place. In all 34 people were killed and about 70 injured, some critically.


In Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad, 13 people, including four Iraqi army officers, were killed in a string of car bombs, explosives and shootings. A police official there said he believed the commanders of the group Sons of Iraq were targeted by insurgents.


Elsewhere, at least two were killed in a series of car bombings in Baghdad, and eight died in attacks on police facilities in Najaf and Karbala. Nine people died in Tikrit after two suicide bombings there, including one by a man dressed in a traffic police uniform who blew himself up at the main gate of the city’s counter-terrorism facility.


In Kirkuk, where a car bomb and an motorcycle rigged with explosives exploded outside a church Monday, killing one, the provincial governor, Najmaldin Karim, called on American troops to stay in the country past the deadline.


Special correspondents Asaad Majeed in Baghdad, Sa’ad Sarhan in Najaf, Othman Almukhtar in Anbar province and Hassan Alshimmari in Diyala province contributed to this report.