December 2009 Baghdad bombings
The December 2009 Baghdad bombings were attacks in Baghdad, Iraq, which resulted in the deaths of at least 127 people and injuries to at least 448 more. The attacks have been condemned internationally as acts of terrorism. Opposition parties within Iraqi politics have suggested that the attacks were aided by corruption within the Iraqi security forces and that the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, was incompetent in managing the incident. The Islamic State of Iraq has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Attack. The attack occurred on the morning of 8 December 2009, at approximately 10:30  am. Local residents reported one blast just after 10:00, which was followed about a half-hour later by another four blasts in quick succession. By mid-afternoon, officials had reported five blasts in the area. At least four of the attacks are believed to have been coordinated. The first of the bombings targeted a police patrol in Dora; this attack also wounded several people at a nearby college. The next four bombings were believed to be targeted at government buildings, and were detonated by suicide bombers. Islamic State of Iraq has claimed responsibility for these four attacks; it is unclear  if the attack in Dora was connected to them. Burnt out vehicles, believed to be the ones used for the bombings, were found outside the Finance, Foreign, and Justice Ministries. The attack is the deadliest in Iraq since the 25 October 2009 Baghdad twin truck bombings, which killed 155 people and wounded 500. Perpetrators. Islamic State of Iraq—an umbrella group around 'Al-Qaeda in Iraq'—on 10 December claimed the attack, saying it "targeted the headquarters of evil, the nests of non-belief (…) The list of targets will not end", and that they were "determined to uproot the pillars of  the government". Aftermath. As the attacks happened in such quick succession, security forces could do nothing to stop them or curtail the damage. However, Iraqi opposition party leaders have suggested that the attacks were the fault of corrupt security officers and accused Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki of not being able to manage the incident. Colonel Ahmed Khalifa of the Iraqi Army has criticised guards at security checkpoints, saying that "It’s clearly negligence and laziness at fault." Political interference in the Iraqi security forces was also a reason for the security failure. The Iraqi Security forces did not feel that  they could handle the aftermath of the attack alone and requested assistance from American forces, who aided them in forensic work and crowd management. American troops also airlifted survivors to hospitals. Prior to the bombing, Iraqi forces had managed to deal with such incidents largely by themselves. Speaking of the latest assistance, a member of the provincial council commented "The Americans are friends and in difficult situations they come to help us." The day after the attack, the government's security chief for Baghdad was sacked by the Iraqi Prime Minister due to alleged security failings during the bombings. Reactions . The attacks have been internationally condemned as terrorist acts, and condolences have been offered by the US and UK, as well as Jordan. There is a universal feeling among Iraqi officials that the aim of the attacks was to undermine the Iraqi elections. Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, the Iraqi National Security Advisor, blamed Al-Qaeda for the attacks. He said: ""[Their] aim is to show the government is unable to protect civilians and its own people and also to deter people from going to ballot boxes."" Iraqi Major General Qassim Atta has also blamed Al-Qaeda, commenting that: ""This has the  touch of al-Qaeda and the Ba'athists.""