Blast hits Iraq’s Finance Ministry

At least four civilians have been injured as a massive explosion was heard near a temporary building being used by Iraq’s Finance Ministry in eastern Baghdad.

“The explosion took place on Thursday afternoon and ripped through areas close to the government building, leaving two passenger vehicles charred,” a local security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

The attack was a reminder of Iraq’s militancy as the country prepares for a national election in the first week of March.

The nationwide parliamentary elections are the first since 2003 and are seen as crucial to the war-battered country. Officials have warned that militants trying to disrupt the vote would probably launch attacks more frequently as the election nears.

Three bomb-rigged cars exploded in quick succession on December 8, striking the Labor Ministry, a court complex and the new site of Iraq’s Finance Ministry. The Ministry’s original location had been destroyed in an August blast.