Al-Qaeda Claims Responsibility For Deadly Iraq Attacks

The Iraqi wing of Al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for a wave of explosions that killed some 50 people across Iraq.

The group, which calls itself the Islamic State of Iraq, made the claim on a militant website following the series of blasts on March 20 in Baghdad, Karbala, Kirkuk and elsewhere.

The statement called the U.S.-backed Iraqi government "fools," and said the attacks were aimed at showing the weaknesses of the government's security plan for an Arab League summit scheduled to take place in Baghdad next week.

The March 29 summit will be the first to be held in Iraq in more than 20 years.

With reporting by dpa, AP, and AFP