Series of Suicide Attacks Leaves Dozens Dead in Iraq

Greg LaMotte
Baghdad
27 Oct 2003, 16:57 UTC

Sirens blared throughout Baghdad as four suicide bombers attacked three

police stations and a Red Cross building, leaving three dozen people dead
and more than 200 wounded in less than two hours.

Suicide bombing number one occurred at an Iraqi police station at 8:30 in

the morning in Baghdad.

Five minutes later, a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-filled ambulance into a cement
blockade near a Red Cross building. The impact of the explosion shattered windows in buildings
blocks away, and left a layer of broken glass on sidewalks and streets.

Less than half an hour after the Red Cross bombing, another Iraqi police station was attacked by a
suicide bomber. The explosion ripped a gaping hole in the police station.

Twenty minutes later another police station was attacked by a suicide

bomber, and one hour later Iraqi police foiled what would have been the
fifth suicide bombing of the morning when they shot a would-be attacker
and took him into custody.

U.S. and Iraqi officials said that suspect was from

Syria, leading them to believe all five incidents
may have been carried out by foreign fighters.

Army Brigadier General Mark Hertling said Sunday's rocket attack against
the al-Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad appeared to have been carried out by
Saddam Hussein loyalists. The latest suicide bombings, he said, appear to
have the marking of foreign fighters.

"There are indicators that certainly these attacks seem to have the mode of operation of foreign
fighters," he said. "They are not something we have seen in the past with the former regime
loyalists, the ability to conduct suicide bombing."

Meanwhile, a U.S. soldier was killed at one of the police stations attacked by a suicide bomber and
six others were wounded.

The first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan was the worst single day of killings since major
combat operations ended May 1. In August, a suicide bomber attacked the U.N. headquarters in
Baghdad killing 22 people.

U.S. military officials acknowledge that, while it is almost impossible to prevent suicide bombings,
they say the amount of damage caused by such bombers can be limited through tighter security
measures.