Saying that the deadly attacks that took the lives of over 60 people on Tuesday were the "first Stage," that will be followed by "revenge," al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the more than dozen bombs that were detonated in Iraq. Another 200 were injured in the attacks.

On Wednesday, Al-qaeda took responsibility for the killings, posting a statement on a militant website, called the Islamic State of Iraq.

Claiming that the killings, that took place on the eve of the tenth anniversary of the 2003 U.S. led invasion into Iraq, were to avenge the executions and massacre of Sunni inmates held in Iraqi prisons, the statement warned the Iraqi government to stop the execution of Sunni prisoners. If the Shiite-led government did not heed the warning, more killings were to come. The statement on the site said to “expect more bad events … and seas of blood. What has reached you on Tuesday was the first drop of rain, and a first phase … that will be followed by more revenge,” it said.

The morning rush-hour attacks on Tuesday targetted mainly government security forces and Shiite areas. The majority of the coordinated attacks were car bombs and explosives attached to the underside of vehicles. Most of the attacks occurred in areas around the capital.

The increased violence in areas around Anbar and Ninevah has prompted the Iraqi government to postpone the elections scheduled for next month for up to six months because of security threats to the election workers and candidates. The government said that elections in other provinces will go ahead as scheduled on April 20th.