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26 Oct, 2009 10:31

RT Iraq bureau at epicenter of double suicide blast

Al-Qaeda associates have taken responsibility for the double suicide blasts in Baghdad that killed at least 155 people, including 24 children, and wounded hundreds on Sunday.

On Tuesday, CCTV surveillance camera footage that captured the initial blast was released by the Baghdad Provincial Administration.

The two explosive-packed vehicles were detonated in an area considered to be the safest in Baghdad, housing embassies and federal offices. RT’s Iraq bureau headquarters were also badly damaged by the blasts.

The Sunday morning explosions rocked the Ministry of Justice as well as a provincial government office and went off within a minute of each other.

RT cameraman Mohammad Salem was at RT headquarters when the blasts occurred.

“When the first explosion took place, our office was damaged. I tried to leave, to escape, and when I got as far as my car, the second bomb went off. All the cars were a mess, including ours. I thought it would be better to go back inside, because we thought there would be a third blast. When we got back into the office we saw that the damage was much worse than it was when we left. All of our things are damaged, including our video equipment, which has been destroyed,” Mohammad Salem says.

The ceiling in the office partially collapsed and most of the windows were broken. Video and sound equipment was damaged, as well as electrical and Internet wiring.

RT spoke to a political analyst, Abdel Karim Al-Alluji, who says that law enforcement agencies in the country have failed to provide security for citizens.

“Why didn't the police and special services do anything? These people couldn't prevent these cars from coming. How did the cars get inside a guarded area? They must be part of a conspiracy alongside someone inside the security services who let the cars in," Abdel Karim Al-Alluji said.

"There is a huge gap in the whole security system. The Iraqi government is responsible. It's unable to run the country and ensure safety. Instead they are busy with internal political fighting. We’re now on the eve of national elections and I expect it will be accompanied by the escalation of violence, as the political forces in power don’t want the situation in Iraq to stabilize," he added.

The attack is Iraq’s deadliest bombing this year.

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