BAGHDAD — Suicide bombers attacked two police stations and a hospital Wednesday in Baqubah, killing at least 31 people just days before Iraq holds national elections.
Bombings had been widely anticipated in the run-up to the election, and the Baqubah assault, targeting members of the security forces that will guard the polling stations Sunday, seemed deliberately designed to disrupt the vote.
So far, however, fears of carnage similar to the massive attacks that killed hundreds of people on three occasions in Baghdad last year have not materialized.
The vote is pivotal because it is taking place only months before the August deadline set by the Obama administration for the withdrawal of all American combat troops. U.S. officials hope an inclusive vote will finally stabilize the country, but there are fears that a poll tainted by allegations of fraud, or a skewed result, could trigger renewed conflict and perhaps delay the pullout.
The last national election, in December 2005, occurred against a backdrop of widespread insurgency that limited Sunni turnout and led to sectarian warfare. This time around, the country is relatively peaceful, and Sunnis are expected to vote in force despite the ban on some of their candidates.
Wednesday’s attack bore the hallmarks of the Sunni extremist al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Two bombers struck almost simultaneously at police stations in the center of Baqubah, about 30 miles north of Baghdad. Then, as emergency workers were ferrying the wounded in ambulances, a bomber detonated a vest rigged with explosives at the gates of the hospital, sowing carnage there. Twelve police officers were among the dead, police said.
A spokeswoman for the governor promised that polling centers would be secured on election day and that a curfew on vehicles would prevent bombings.
