BAGHDAD — On a day when two suicide bombings killed 41 Iraqis and injured more than 130, Iraq's interior minister said Thursday that the interim government would consider all options to quell the country's bloody insurgency -- including declaring martial law.
That tactic is among those that will be discussed if the violence continues after June 30, when the interim government is scheduled to take over from the U.S.-led coalition, said Interior Minister Falah Fakib. "If we see the need to do it, we won't hesitate," he said.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Saturday June 19, 2004 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 0 inches; 24 words Type of Material: Correction
Iraqi official -- An article Friday in Section A about violence in Iraq referred to interim Iraqi Interior Minister Falah Nakib as Falah Fakib.
The minister's comments came as Iraqis witnessed the latest in an almost daily drumbeat of attacks as the deadline for the hand-over of sovereignty approached. It was one of the deadliest days in months.
Thursday's bombings targeted the fledgling Iraqi security services, but insurgents have also focused on foreign contractors working to restore electricity and keep oil flowing. Security and reconstruction are the biggest problems facing the interim government.
"These attacks won't delay Iraq and its people from their progress toward prosperity and peace," interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said. They are "an escalation we have been expecting" in the final weeks before the hand-over.
"We will continue to confront the enemies of Iraq.... Justice will prevail," he said.
Last week, Allawi said he and his ministers were prepared to use "drastic measures" to end the insurgency. He didn't provide specifics Thursday about how civilians and members of the nation's security forces could be protected.
Nor did Nakib give details on how martial law would be implemented in a country that has been occupied for more than 14 months, after a regime with a harsh security apparatus was deposed. It remains unclear whether Iraq has enough forces to use such a strategy.
The first attack Thursday came when a suicide car bomber struck an Iraqi army recruitment office in central Baghdad, killing 35 Iraqis and injuring 138, the Health Ministry said. Local officials questioned whether keeping potential recruits outside the compound had placed them in greater danger.
The bomber struck during the height of morning rush-hour on a packed stretch of one of Baghdad's busiest streets, and many of the casualties were commuters hurt by shrapnel and flying glass.
A second car bomb exploded later in the day in Balad, north of the capital, killing six members of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, a force created by the coalition to help fight the insurgency.
