Car bombs coordinated in attack against government buildings
Three explosions were detonated next to government buildings in a coordinated attack on central Baghdad today. At least 118 people were killed with another 261 wounded, and a smaller, possibly accidental blast near a school has killed seven children. The attacks, which targeted a courthouse and the labour and finance ministry buildings, are the worst since bombs killed at least 155 people on October 25, and come as the Iraqi government is poised to announce the date for next year’s parliamentary elections. Officials say the blasts are meant to discredit Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government, which the insurgency considers to be too pro-West.