Bombings Sweep Iraq on Anniversary of US Invasion

Car bombs exploded in cities across Iraq today, including Baghdad, Fallujah, and Kirkuk, in a spate of violence that both marks the ninth anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq, and presages the Arab League's summit in Baghdad next week. The attacks struck eight cities in all, killing at least 46, the AP reports. The Shiite holy city of Karbala suffered the deadliest attack; al-Qaeda used the tactic of staggering two car bombs, so that the second would hit emergency responders dealing with the first, according to the Telegraph.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq has already claimed responsibility for one of the attacks, which targeted the office overseeing security for the Arab League visit. "Death is approaching you, when you least expect it," a local front group said on its website. Other targets included a police officer's home in Fallujah, a police station in Kirkuk, and a security checkpoint in Baghdad, although that one was shot at rather than bombed. (More Iraq stories.)