Local Iraqi Leaders Blame Al Qaeda for Attack

The attack underscored the continued struggles of Iraqi security forces to curb violence throughout the country. Although there are far fewer attacks than at the height of the sectarian war in 2007, there are still bombings and assassinations on a daily basis.

Around 7 a.m., the bomber drove a car packed with explosives up to a check point outside the training center in downtown Hilla, detonating the explosives while a bus drove by, according to the security official.

At the time, there was a shift change at the training center, which increased the number of officers in the area, the official said.

“The central government is responsible for this explosion,” said the local official, Kathum Majed Toma, who is the head of Babil’s provincial council. “We requested many times for them to provide us with sonar devices to detect explosives and for them to hire more security forces so we can secure our province but they did not reply.”

The explosion knocked over several blast walls and damaged the front rooms of the training center, as well as several homes.

The attack was the deadliest in Iraq since terrorists here promised to increase violence in response to Osama bin Laden’s death in the early hours Monday.

"This was a breach of our security by Al Qaeda," said Haider Zanbor, the head of the province’s security committee. "We were expecting that Babil would be the target of revenge for the killing of bin Laden. We will increase the security procedure to prevent this from happening again."

Members of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, a Sunni group, have conducted dozens of attacks in the city in recent years, including several targeted at police and security officials. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

At a press conference in Baghdad on Wednesday, one of the country’s top law enforcement officials, Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta, said that “there are still some cells able to work in Iraq and able to implement a terrorist act.”

However, Mr. Atta, who is the spokesman for the Baghdad Operations Command, which controls the police and army, stressed that Iraqi security forces are prepared to maintain security after American forces withdraw all by the end of the year.

Yasir Ghazi and Duraid Adnan contributed reporting from Baghdad. An employee of The New York Times contributed reporting from Hilla.