Iraq al-Qaida group says it's behind embassy hits

al-Qaeda's umbrella group in Iraq claimed responsibility yesterday for a triple suicide bombing outside foreign embassies in Baghdad, which killed more than 40 people.
The group, known as the Islamic State of Iraq, posted a statement on a website that carries al-Qaida and other militant declarations.
The statement said the embassy attacks last Sunday were a "new strike into the heart of the security plan" in the Iraqi capital. It also said "all diplomatic corps, embassies and international organizations" dealing with the Iraqi government are "legitimate targets."
The embassy bombings are part of a wave of recent violence in and around the capital that has killed some 120 people in a week. The bloodshed suggests insurgents are seizing on political uncertainty after March elections to try to destabilize Iraq as US troops prepare to leave.
The US military plans to reduce troop levels from some 96,000 to 50,000 by Aug. 31, when it will end combat operations. As part of an agreement with Iraq, the US will withdraw all forces by the end of 2011.
On Friday, thousands gathered in the holy city of Najaf, shouting "Iraq is for Iraqis!" and "There is no place for occupiers!" during an annual march organized by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to mark the anniversary of the fall of Baghdad.
"If you stay united, you will defeat the occupier and get them out of our sacred land," said al-Sadr's aide Sayyid Hazim Al-Araji, reading a speech on the behalf of the cleric, who is living in Iran.
"If you divide, the occupier and its supporters will stay in our land," he said.
US Brig Gen Ralph Baker told reporters in Baghdad earlier this week that he understands there are "some Iraqis that think the US military will never leave Iraq." But, he emphasized, the draw down plans were on track and have not changed despite the recent violence.