Iraq War Continues: Bombings in Anbar Province Kills 14, Wounds Dozens

Kris Hamel, Sandra Hines and Abayomi Azikiwe in front of the "Spirit of Detroit" downtown during the anti-war actions on March 15, 2008. (Alan Pollock).
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

Iraqi police: Anbar bombings kill 14, wound dozens

By SAMEER N. YACOUB, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD – A series of bombings killed at least 14 people and wounded dozens more Sunday in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi, said police and hospital officials, a worrying sign that violence may be on the rise in this former hotbed of the insurgency.

The first explosion occurred in a parking lot in Ramadi, when a parked car exploded near the police headquarters for Anbar province and the provincial council building, said a local police official.

As police and bystanders rushed to the scene, a second car parked in the vicinity blew up, said the police official. According to the official, a third vehicle exploded about an hour later near the gates to the Ramadi hospital.

Multiple explosions timed to kill rescuers and security forces responding to an earlier bomb were a hallmark of Al-Qaida in Iraq forces during the height of the insurgency.

One bystander, Musaab Ali Mohammed, said he was buying cigarettes from a shop near the police headquarters when he heard a big explosion and smoke billowing out from the parking lot.

"I saw police cars and firefighters, and they started to carry out the wounded and dead. ... Minutes later, a second explosion took place," he said, adding that many of the injured in the second blast appeared to be firefighters. "After that, policemen started to fire in the air and called upon civilians to leave, fearing a third blast."

The police official said a total of 18 people were killed in the three explosions, while an official at the Ramadi hospital said 14 bodies were brought to the hospital.

Conflicting death tolls are common in the aftermath of bombings in Iraq.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Anbar province was the scene of some of the most intense fighting by U.S. troops during the insurgency.

Violence tapered off significantly after local tribes decided to ally with U.S. forces, but bombings such as those Sunday are a worrying sign of the insurgency's resilience in the western province.