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Iraqi governor hit in twin blasts | |
(30 minutes later) | |
At least 23 people have died in two suicide bombs in the central Iraqi city of Ramadi, with conflicting reports about the provincial governor's fate. | |
Police and state TV said Anbar Governor Qassim Mohammed was dead, although his deputy said he had only been wounded. | Police and state TV said Anbar Governor Qassim Mohammed was dead, although his deputy said he had only been wounded. |
The attacks struck in quick succession in the same street in the provincial capital. | |
Analysts have blamed recent attacks in Iraq on al-Qaeda trying to destabilise the country ahead of March elections. | Analysts have blamed recent attacks in Iraq on al-Qaeda trying to destabilise the country ahead of March elections. |
The bombers are reported to have exploded their devices after driving what appeared to be official vehicles in to Ramadi's green zone, where government buildings are located under heavy protection. | |
The first bomb went off near the entrance to the provincial council. | |
A short time later the second bomb was detonated at the other end of the same street. | |
The governor was said to have been injured when the second attacker struck after he came out of his office to inspect damage from the initial blast. | |
The BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad says that while Anbar has been generally quiet, the number of attacks has been rising in recent months, a worrying development in advance of March's general elections. | |
It was the heart of Iraq's Sunni Islamist insurgency following the US-led overthrow of Saddam Hussein, but became relatively secure after local tribal leaders turned against al-Qaeda in 2006. |