Al-Qaida in Iraq Claims Bank Attack

Complex tactics suggest insurgents take cues from Taliban

Smoke rises over central Baghdad, Iraq, on Sunday, June 13, 2010 following a series of explosions. (Photo credit: Karim Kadim / AP)

June 17, 2010

BAGHDAD, Iraq — An al-Qaida in Iraq front group [the Islamic State of Iraq] claimed responsibility Thursday for a deadly assault on the Central Bank in which suicide bombers wearing military uniforms stormed the country’s most important financial institution during rush hour in Baghdad.

The hours-long attack differed from the Iraqi terror network’s trademark car and truck bombings, a shift in tactics as the group struggles to regroup after being routed in a series of U.S.-Iraqi offensives.

Experts said the complex nature of the attack suggested the group’s new leadership could be taking cues from the Taliban’s success with similar operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan. …

The attack began with a series of bombs that tore through the commercial district near the central bank. Then insurgents trying to get into the building battled security forces for about three hours, bringing one of the busiest parts of the capital to a standstill as employees fled the area.

In all, as many as 26 people were killed and dozens wounded from the bombings and the shooting. …

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Related report on this site

Bombings in Iraq, Afghanistan (June 6, 2010)

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6/18/10 Update – Iraq war: Unintended consequences

Troubling epilogue to Iraq war: An epidemic of mental illness (Leila Fadel, Washington Post, June 18, 2010) – Even as a pullback of American troops marks a winding down of the war, more and more Iraqis are seeking medical treatment for trauma-induced mental illnesses, and the medical community is unable to keep up. … Full story

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: One Year Ago — June 17, 2009

  Iran election   A look at players in the disputed 2009 presidential vote.

Iran’s Disputed Presidential Vote

One-year retrospective: One year ago today I featured biographical profiles of candidates and other major players in Iran’s disputed 2009 presidential vote.