BAGHDAD, DOZENS OF DEAD AND INJURED IN A SERIES OF ATTACKS

At least 26 people have died and around 30 more are injured " but the figures are still preliminary " following at least four suicide car bomb attacks in the capital this morning. International agencies report that two Iraqis died in an explosion near the Australian embassy inside the so-called ’Green zone’ at around 07.00 local time.

Half an hour later, a second kamikaze caused a vehicle to explode near the ’Al Alwiyya’ hospital and the general police headquarters in the city centre, killing 18 people including five policemen.

Two police officers then died in a third attack near the international airport. Finally, a fourth explosion killed at least two policemen near a bank in the northern part of the Iraqi capital. These episodes confirm the major insecurity just 11 days short of the elections on 30 January, which the guerrillas are trying to frustrate through attacks and aggression throughout the country. [LC]

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