Two suicide bombers detonated explosives Sunday as a crowd of men gathered in front of a police recruiting center in central Baghdad, killing at least 35 people and wounding 56 in one of the deadliest suicide attacks in Iraq this year.
The blast, coming hours before Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced plans for a major Cabinet shake-up, delivered the latest blow to U.S. and Iraqi efforts to strengthen the country's fledgling security forces. Such efforts are a key element of the U.S. strategy to draw down troop strength and contain the sectarian violence that is pushing the country toward civil war.
The bombers detonated explosive belts almost simultaneously about 9:30 a.m., Interior Ministry officials said. Some witnesses said two mortar shells fell minutes after the bombings, as they were fleeing the scene.
The officials said they expected the death toll to rise because many of the wounded were in critical condition.
Al-Maliki called for a sweeping reshuffling of his Cabinet in a closed session with Iraqi lawmakers Sunday, echoing a similar statement he made earlier this month. His office said in a statement that al-Maliki had "called for a complete ministerial reshuffle in accordance with the current situation," but it provided no details of the shake-up.
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Al-Maliki's six-month-old government is under pressure from the United States, its main patron, to stop sectarian strife, disarm militias that have infiltrated government ministries and root out widespread graft by government officials. The prime minister also is facing growing criticism from Iraqis frustrated with the government's failure to provide basic services, employment and security.
