Obama warned of Iraq failure as bombs kill scores
The death toll from the Baghdad bombings has risen as President Obama’s opponents accuse him of leaving a dangerous vacuum in Iraq.
Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has said the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq is one of President Barack Obama‘s “signature failures”.
He spoke as the death toll from a string of bombings across the capital Baghdad rose to at least 69, raising fears of a return to widespread sectarian violence in the country after the last American soldiers left.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Malik met with US Army General Ray Odierno in Baghdad on Thursday to discuss the future of Iraq.
Nearly 200 people were hurt on Thursday morning in apparently co-ordinated attacks that saw at least 14 bombs explode in 11 neighbourhoods in Baghdad.
The explosions ranged from blasts from sticky bombs attached to cars, to roadside bombs and vehicles packed with explosives. There was at least one suicide bombing.
The president’s failure to secure an agreement and maintain 10,000 to 30,000 troops in Iraq has to be one of his signature failures. Mitt Romney
The attacks came after the last American forces left the country and in the midst of a major government crisis between Shia and Sunni politicians that has sent sectarian tensions soaring.
The government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has accused the Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi of running a hit squad that targeted government officials.
Al-Maliki is also pushing for a vote of no-confidence against another Sunni politician, the deputy prime minister Saleh al-Mutlaq.
Many Sunnis fear that this is part of a wider campaign to go after Sunni political figures in general and shore up Shia control across the country at a critical time after the American pullout.
The tension has raised fears of a new round of Shia-Sunni sectarian bloodshed, similar to the one a few years ago that pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Thursday’s violence, but the co-ordinated nature of the assault and the fact that the attacks took place in numerous neighbourhoods suggested a planning capability only available to al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Many of the neighbourhoods were Shia areas which are a favourite target of the terror group.
Mr Romney said: “When the announcement was made that a status of forces agreement had not been reached and that we were going to pull out all of our troops I made the point that that put our successes and victories there at risk.
“And I hope that risk is not realized and I hope that we are able to see stability there. But the president’s failure to secure an agreement and maintain 10,000 to 30,000 troops in Iraq has to be one of his signature failures.”