BAGHDAD — A suicide bomber Monday struck a crowd rushing to help schoolgirls trapped in a bus by an earlier bombing. The Interior Ministry said at least 31 people were killed, the deadliest in a string of blasts that raises doubts about Iraqi security forces as the U.S. prepares to reduce troops.
The ministry said 71 people were wounded in the twin blasts. A third bomb exploded about 130 yards from the scene in the mostly Shiite Kasrah section of Baghdad but caused no casualties, police said.
No group claimed responsibility for the attacks during the morning rush hour. But suspicion fell on al-Qaeda in Iraq, which has made suicide bombings against Shiite civilians its signature attack.
In recent weeks, there has been an uptick in small-scale bombings in Baghdad. An Associated Press tally showed at least 19 bombings in the city this month as of Sunday, compared with 28 for all of October and 22 in September.
An Interior Ministry official speculated that extremists might have sought to “send a message” to President-elect Barack Obama about “the real situation in Iraq,” pressure the government not to sign a new security agreement with the United States or embarrass the ruling parties ahead of regional elections in January.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was offering speculation.
Also Monday, a female suicide bomber thought in to be in her teens attacked a security checkpoint in downtown Baqubah, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad. Five people died, including a local leader of Sunni group opposed to al-Qaeda, police said.
Iraq’s government spokesman said Monday that U.S. offers of changes to a draft security agreement were “not enough” and asked the U.S. to offer new amendments if it wants the pact to win parliamentary approval.
The comments by spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh were the first by the Iraqis since the U.S. submitted a response last week to an Iraqi request for changes in the draft agreement, which would keep U.S. troops here until 2012 and give Iraq a greater role in the management of the U.S. mission.
Al-Dabbagh said his remarks constituted the government response, but it had not been officially conveyed to the Americans. There was no immediate comment from U.S. officials, who had described the latest draft submitted to the Iraqis as a “final text.”
