Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani said on Sunday that 13 people arrested for deadly bombings in Baghdad last August are to be executed, as Iraq’s security chiefs were grilled by members of parliament (MPs).
His comments came during a grilling in the aftermath of another spate of bombings in Baghdad last Tuesday in which 127 people were killed and 450 wounded. Angry lawmakers, however, shouted down security officials as they tried to defend their forces.
It was the third time since last Tuesday’s attacks that government officials and security brass were on the hot seat, which suggested that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki may need much bolder action to repair the government’s image heading toward March elections.
“We have completed 80 percent of the investigation over the bombings against the ministries of finance and foreign affairs,” Bolani said, referring to twin truck bombs against the ministry buildings on Aug. 19 that killed about 100 people.
“The court was convinced by the evidence the ministry of interior brought and the 13 terrorists implicated will be executed,” he said.
“We are continuing to work on the attacks against the ministry of justice and the Baghdad governorate offices,” he said, referring to attacks on government buildings on Oct. 25:
Bolani had earlier told MPs that authorities had arrested 13 “criminals” in connection with the Dec. 8 blasts in Baghdad.
He was joined during the session by Defense Minister Abdel Qader Obeidi, National Security Minister Shirwan al-Waili and other security heads, amid alarm in parliament over the effectiveness of Iraq’s security apparatus.
“We have in our ministry an information and investigation department which dedicates 50 percent of its work to the fight against terrorism,” Bolani said, waving a thick folder on Tuesday’s carnage.
Bolani called for Iraq’s security operations centers, which in Baghdad answers directly to the prime minister’s office, to be linked to the interior and defense ministries to improve efficiency.
The defense minister, whose department is also facing public anger over its apparent inability to bring a halt to mega-attacks, said insurgents had backing from within and outside Iraq.
Baghdad’s former military chief told lawmakers that the US military had warned of an imminent attack hours before last week’s deadly bombings in Baghdad, but the tip came too late to act on.
“But the attacks did not take place at the sites [stated] and the type of vehicles used were not those of which we had been informed,” said Lieutenant General Abboud Qanbar, who lost his job because of the car and minibus bombings.
On the morning of the attacks, he said Baghdad’s security command received intelligence from the US military that insurgents would soon carry out three attacks, including one in or near the protected Green Zone, home to the prime minister’s office, parliament and the US embassy.
He said the tip indicated there would be two car bomb attacks in the morning and another later in the day. Three major explosions shook Baghdad about five hours after the US notified the Iraqis. He said there was not enough time to chase leads or enough detail in the US intelligence to reassign units.
US military officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Qanbar also said the number of car bomb attacks in Baghdad had plunged from 207 in 2007, to 88 last year and 46 this year.
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