BAGHDAD, March 21 (UPI) -- An al-Qaida militant group claimed responsibility Wednesday for a rash of deadly attacks across Iraq the day before in which as many as 45 people were killed.
The Islamic State of Iraq said in a statement posted on an Islamic Web site the attacks were meant to strike at Iraq's security plan ahead of the Arab League summit March 29 in Baghdad, China's state-run news agency Xinhua reported.
"In a new coordinated wave, the lions of Sunnis in Baghdad and other [Islamic State of Iraq] states simultaneously carried out strikes against the security plan announced by the government of the fools in the Green Zone in preparation for the meeting of the Arab tyrants in Baghdad," the statement said.
Xinhua said the statement's authenticity could not be verified.
As many as 45 people were killed and at least 212 were wounded Tuesday in a string of bombings and other attacks throughout the country that primarily targeted Iraqi security forces.
Iraqi officials previously said unprecedented security measures would be taken in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities during the summit. However, observers said Tuesday's attacks demonstrated how quickly security measures could be breached, Xinhua said.
The string of attacks occurred on the ninth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq that toppled former leader Saddam Hussein.
