Baghdad: Al-Qaeda’s Iraq branch, commonly known as Islamic State of Iraq, Friday claimed responsibility for the wave of deadly attacks across the country that left 26 dead and a stunning jailbreak that freed almost 90 inmates including 47 al-Qaeda members.
In a statement posted on a militant website, the group said that the attacks, mostly bombings using explosive-rigged parked cars, were launched against “carefully selected targets” in Baghdad and some other provinces.
Last Sunday’s coordinated blasts, stretching from the northern city of Kirkuk through Baghdad to Iraq’s Shiite-dominated south, mostly targeted Shiite neighborhoods and Iraqi security forces. In all, at least 26 people died.
The militant group also claimed responsibility for a Sept. 27 prison break in Saddam Hussein’s hometown, in which prisoners seized weapons and clashed with security forces in an hours-long standoff. Twelve people died and dozens of al-Qaeda inmates escaped.
“The tight security measures did not prevent the fighters of the Islamic State from carrying out this operation with the maximum accuracy,” the statement said.
Earlier this summer, the Islamic State announced a campaign dubbed “Breaking the Walls” that aimed to restore its power in areas from which it was driven by the American military and Sunni fighters of the U.S.-allied Sahwa or Awakening movement after sectarian fighting peaked in 2007.
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