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| Iraq bombers seek to reverse progress | Iraq bombers seek to reverse progress |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Sunday's co-ordinated attacks were the bloodiest in Baghdad since April 2007 By Frank Gardner BBC Security Correspondent | Sunday's co-ordinated attacks were the bloodiest in Baghdad since April 2007 By Frank Gardner BBC Security Correspondent |
| US and Iraqi investigators in Baghdad are focusing their attention on two possible culprits for Sunday's bombings, which left more than 155 people dead. | US and Iraqi investigators in Baghdad are focusing their attention on two possible culprits for Sunday's bombings, which left more than 155 people dead. |
| They believe the attacks bear the hallmarks of al-Qaeda in Iraq, and Baathists who were loyal to the late former president, Saddam Hussein. | They believe the attacks bear the hallmarks of al-Qaeda in Iraq, and Baathists who were loyal to the late former president, Saddam Hussein. |
| A third possibility - elements of the Awakening Councils, former Sunni Arab insurgents now supposedly co-opted by the Iraqi government - has been suggested by the Arabic-language newspaper, al-Quds al-Arabi. | A third possibility - elements of the Awakening Councils, former Sunni Arab insurgents now supposedly co-opted by the Iraqi government - has been suggested by the Arabic-language newspaper, al-Quds al-Arabi. |
| However, a Pentagon spokesman has dismissed this as being unlikely because of the huge scale of the simultaneous double bombing. | However, a Pentagon spokesman has dismissed this as being unlikely because of the huge scale of the simultaneous double bombing. |
| 'Gaps in security' | 'Gaps in security' |
| Picking over the rubble left by yesterday's bombs, US military forensic investigators and bomb-disposal specialists are working side-by-side with their Iraqi counterparts. | Picking over the rubble left by yesterday's bombs, US military forensic investigators and bomb-disposal specialists are working side-by-side with their Iraqi counterparts. |
| With the Iraqis now in charge of security in Baghdad instead of the Americans, the bombers may have been able to exploit certain gaps in security Sajjan GohelAsia Pacific Foundation | With the Iraqis now in charge of security in Baghdad instead of the Americans, the bombers may have been able to exploit certain gaps in security Sajjan GohelAsia Pacific Foundation |
| Officials say the early indications are that only two groups could have been behind such mass, indiscriminate slaughter - al-Qaeda in Iraq or the diehard loyalists of the Baath Party. | Officials say the early indications are that only two groups could have been behind such mass, indiscriminate slaughter - al-Qaeda in Iraq or the diehard loyalists of the Baath Party. |
| Both groups have been severely weakened in the past two years and have little popular support. | Both groups have been severely weakened in the past two years and have little popular support. |
| But they still have access to explosives and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of volunteers for suicide missions such as this. | But they still have access to explosives and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of volunteers for suicide missions such as this. |
| They also share an almost pathological contempt for the elected government of Prime Minister Nuri Maliki, which they accuse of - variously - being the puppet of Iran or the United States. | They also share an almost pathological contempt for the elected government of Prime Minister Nuri Maliki, which they accuse of - variously - being the puppet of Iran or the United States. |
| On Monday, a Pentagon spokesman said there was some evidence of past collusion between the two groups. | On Monday, a Pentagon spokesman said there was some evidence of past collusion between the two groups. |
| There are also suspicions that the bombers may have had help from someone inside Iraq's security forces to get their deadly cargoes through numerous checkpoints. | |
| "The bombers took advantage of the recent changes in the security apparatus," said Sajjan Gohel of the Asia Pacific Foundation. | "The bombers took advantage of the recent changes in the security apparatus," said Sajjan Gohel of the Asia Pacific Foundation. |
| "With the Iraqis now in charge of security in Baghdad instead of the Americans, the bombers may have been able to exploit certain gaps in security." | "With the Iraqis now in charge of security in Baghdad instead of the Americans, the bombers may have been able to exploit certain gaps in security." |
| 'Normalisation' interrupted | 'Normalisation' interrupted |
| So what would the bombers hope to gain from murdering so many people? | So what would the bombers hope to gain from murdering so many people? |
| Their ultimate target was, of course, not so much the individuals who were killed, but the Iraqi government itself. | Their ultimate target was, of course, not so much the individuals who were killed, but the Iraqi government itself. |
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| The moment one of the bombs hit Baghdad's Haifa Street | The moment one of the bombs hit Baghdad's Haifa Street |
| By showing, in such a spectacular, headline-grabbing way, that the capital is still not safe, the attackers would be hoping to reverse the gradual process of "normalisation" that has been under way for nearly two years. | By showing, in such a spectacular, headline-grabbing way, that the capital is still not safe, the attackers would be hoping to reverse the gradual process of "normalisation" that has been under way for nearly two years. |
| Iraq is scheduled to hold elections in January and al-Qaeda has always made it clear that it considers Western-style democracy abhorrent and incompatible with Islam. | Iraq is scheduled to hold elections in January and al-Qaeda has always made it clear that it considers Western-style democracy abhorrent and incompatible with Islam. |
| Surviving former elements of Saddam Hussein's regime, some of whom now live in Syria, are also unwilling to accept the status quo of an elected Shia-dominated government in Baghdad, which has good relations with both Washington and Tehran. | Surviving former elements of Saddam Hussein's regime, some of whom now live in Syria, are also unwilling to accept the status quo of an elected Shia-dominated government in Baghdad, which has good relations with both Washington and Tehran. |
| In their eyes, anything that helps set that back, or makes Iraq harder to govern, is worth doing, however many innocent lives are lost. | In their eyes, anything that helps set that back, or makes Iraq harder to govern, is worth doing, however many innocent lives are lost. |