Suicide bombings kill 21 in Iraq
6/1/2005 14:45
Two separate suicide bombings killed 21 people in Iraq on Wednesday as
part of a campaign to derail the Jan. 30 general elections.
In the town of
Hilla, south of Baghdad, a suicide bomber blew up a car loaded with explosives
outside a police academy during a graduation ceremony, killing 15 people, said
the police.
Hours later in Baquba, another suicide bomber killed six Iraqi
policemen at a checkpoint manned by police and National Guards, police and
hospital sources said.
The attacks were the latest by insurgents who have
killed more than 90 people, mostly policemen, so far this week in a campaign
aimed at derailing this month's elections and targeting the US- backed interim
government and its security services.
Despite the mounting attacks and rising
casualties, Iraq's interim leader vowed again to proceed with the vote as
planned.
"The government is committed to running the elections on schedule,"
Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi told a news conference. "We will not allow
violence and terrorists to stop the political process."
Xinhua
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