Iraq arrests 60 security forces over blasts

Iraq has arrested some 60 security forces over the weekend twin bombings which targeted government buildings in Baghdad, killing up to 153 people.

Army spokesman General Qasim Atta said the suspects were arrested on Thursday, saying that those arrested were deployed in the Salhiya section of the capital at the time of the blasts.

“The commission of inquiry into the double attack on Sunday ordered the arrest of 11 officers of various ranks and 50 members of the security forces responsible for the protection of Salhiya,” the spokesman for Baghdad military command added.

Health Ministry spokesman Sabah Abdullah on Thursday announced the final toll was 153 people dead, adding that of the more than 500 people wounded six or seven remained hospitalized.

This is while Iraqi authorities have not yet managed to identify the extremely disfigured victims of the Sunday’s vehicle bombings at the justice ministry and the Baghdad provincial governor’s office.

The US-based SITE monitoring body said the al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq organization has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which the government blames on members of the outlawed Baath party.

Baghdad’s governor Salah Abdul Razzaq said on Monday that the incident took place because of a human failure, which could be either negligence or conspiracy on the part of the security forces.

Footage showed a white Renault truck with the logo of the Department of Water in Fallujah driving up to the justice ministry building.

The vehicle loaded with two tons of explosives exploded later in the heart of the Iraqi capital while trucks were barred from entering Baghdad during daylight hours.

Among those arrested were the chief of police of Salhiya and the commanders of 15 security checkpoints in the district, said Atta.