Nearly 30 kindergarten age kids died in Sunday's blasts; security
(27 Oct 2009) 1. Fa�ade of Justice Ministry building, seriously damaged in car bomb attack on 25 October 2009 2. Sign reading: (Arabic and English) ''Ministry of Justice'' 3. Entrance to the al-Qada al-Ala Kindergarten located within Justice Ministry building, ground littered with glass 4. Low shot of entrance showing sign reading: "al-Qada al-Ala Kindergarten" 5. Damaged toys, debris at doorway 6. Pan of interior of kindergarten showing extensive damage and children's toys 7. Blood stain on floor 8. Pan from poster of children to damage 9. Low shot showing damaged toys amongst debris 10. Shoes amongst debris 11. Man removing damaged slide 12. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Adel Risen, Justice Ministry employee: ''The explosion was so powerful. About 4 children from the kindergarten belonging to the Justice Ministry were killed. We managed to rescue some other children.'' 13. Police officer examining damaged furniture 14. Wide of damage 15. Man moving debris 16. Various high wides of traffic jam near a military checkpoint UPSOUND: car horns 17. Armed police officers in street 18. High wide of cars caught in traffic jam 19. Police officer checking cars as they drive past 20. Police officers searching car 21. Police officers checking cars 22. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Osama Hassan, Driver: "The military checkpoints have been increased and are more intense. Such an increase in checkpoints has upset us. From the Dora checkpoint to the centre of the capital, it takes at least three hours. We were at Dora district at 7am and we have not yet reached the centre of Baghdad." 23. Traffic officers directing traffic 24. High wide of traffic jam STORYLINE: The carnage that descended on Baghdad on Sunday in twin suicide bombings claimed the lives of 28 small children it emerged Tuesday. At least 155 people perished in Iraq's deadliest attack in two years. The blasts in the heart of the Iraqi capital targeted two government facilities just a few hundred yards from each other. The first blast hit the Justice Ministry followed by a second at the Baghdad Provincial Administration, akin to city hall. At the Justice Ministry daycare centre - the Qada al-Ala kindergarten - four children lost their lives. Police on Tuesday joined staff sifting through debris - shattered glass and wreckage littered amongst discarded toys and children's clothing. A Justice Ministry spokesperson said some children survived the devastating blast. Also killed in the attack were two dozen children, travelling on a bus as it left the daycare centre, according to an official at the hospital where the bodies were brought. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the media. An al-Qaida linked group claimed responsibility for the bombings in a statement posted on the internet late on Monday. The militant group known as the Islamic State of Iraq said the group's suicide bombers targeted the "pillars of the Safawi and rejectionist state in the land of caliphate," referring to the Shiite government in Baghdad and its close ally, Iran. The authenticity of the statement, which appeared on a Web site commonly used for militant messaging, could not be independently confirmed. The same group also claimed responsibility for August bombings of two government ministries in Baghdad, when more than 100 people were killed. Linked to the wider militant network, the Islamic State of Iraq is an umbrella group within the Arab country that comprises a militant coalition in which al-Qaida is a leading member. state for Sunday's "terrorist acts." Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
