20 March 2012 Iraq attacks

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

On 20 March 2012, coordinated attacks hit Iraq, including Baghdad and at least nine other cities. The assaults, part of the ongoing insurgency after the U.S. withdrawal, used suicide bombings, car bombs, IEDs, and shootings. At least 50 people were killed and around 250 were wounded.

The deadliest attack happened in Karbala, where twin bombings killed 13 and injured 50. In Kirkuk, a car bomb exploded in the parking lot of a security office, killing 13 and wounding nearly 60. In Baghdad, several explosions and a mortar attack near the Green Zone, plus a suicide blast opposite an intelligence building near the Foreign Ministry, left 3 dead and 9 wounded. Other bombings and shootings hit Fallujah, Samarra, Baiji, Hillah, Latifiya, Tuz Khormato, and Ramadi, where a car bomb killed 2 and injured 11. In Baqubah, authorities found and disarmed at least eight devices. In a nearby village, two police officers were killed.

The Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility for the attacks and warned of more violence against Shiites. The country was preparing to host the Arab League Summit on 29 March, amid rising violence since the U.S. withdrawal.