Explosions in southern Iraq kill at least 68 people

At least 68 people have been killed in a series of bomb attacks on police stations in the southern Iraq this morning.

According to reports, three police stations in Basra were targeted in simultaneous attacks during rush hour. A short time later a police training school in Al Zubayr, which lies 16 miles to the south of Basra, was hit by car bombs.

At around 7.15am local time (3.15am GMT), two police stations in the Ashar district of Basra were rocked by explosions; while a car bomb destroyed a police station in the Old City.

An hour later a police academy in Al Zubayr was damaged in a fourth blast.

Local official have linked the attacks to Al Qaeda sympathisers.

Around 100 people are thought to have been injured during the bombings, which occurred in an area policed by UK armed forces. The Foreign Office has since confirmed that four British troops were injured.

The Arab-language news service Al Jazeera has reported that a number of children are among the dead as two school buses were caught up in the blasts.

An eyewitness believed that there were around 15 bodies in the wreckage of one of the buses, according to BBC News online.

It has also been reported that British soldiers, who tried to get close to the bombsites, were prevented by a crowd of stone-throwers.

Condemning the terror attacks, the Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said that those responsible had no respect for the lives of their fellow Iraqi Muslims and cared nothing for the people of Iraq.

He added: "Our thoughts and prayers this morning are with the families and friends of those Iraqis who died in today's devastating attacks, and with the British soldiers and others who were injured.

"My message to the terrorists is clear: we will not allow you to derail the process of transition to a sovereign and democratic Iraq. The people of Iraq will not be deprived of the better future which they deserve."

The Lib Dems defence spokesperson, Paul Keetch, also condemned the atrocities, saying: "Whilst the Basra area has been quiet in recent days, this devastating attack shows that this area and our forces are not immune from the wider violence that is gripping Iraq.

"We cannot somehow isolate our forces in their sector from the growing violence and we must have political input into managing that violence throughout Iraq."

(gmcg)