Iraq suicide bombers kill 37 as 'Chemical Ali' is executed

Suicide bombers killed 37 people and injured 104 today in strikes near three hotels in Baghdad.

The blasts, which took place within 15 minutes in downtown Baghdad, happened shortly before state television announced that "Chemical Ali" Hassan al-Majid had been hanged.

There was no claim of responsibility for the attacks, six weeks after a series of blasts killed 127 and brought anger against Iraq's government for security lapses as American troops withdraw.

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the bombings "represent an extension" of the activities of insurgents linked to Saddam Hussein's regime.

The first explosion was at about 3.40pm in the parking lot of the Sheraton Hotel, toppling 10ft high concrete blast walls protecting the site and damaging buildings along the Abu Nawas esplanade, across the Tigris River from the international Green Zone.

Two blasts followed minutes later, striking near the Babylon Hotel and al-Hamra Hotel, which is popular with Western journalists and foreign security contractors.

The officials said the death toll was expected to rise. According to initial tallies, 15 of the victims were at the al-Hamra, 14 at the Sheraton, and the seven died at the Babylon, including two policemen.

Outside the Sheraton, a high-rise tower with views of the Tigris, the blast left a 10ft deep crater in the parking lot. Cars were torn apart by the spray of metal and glass, which littered the lawns and courtyards of the popular fish restaurants along the river. Iraqi police sealed the area and helicopters circled overhead.

At the al-Hamra, two men in a car opened fire on guards at the hotel checkpoint before detonating the explosives.

Gordon Brown said Britain remained committed to working with the Iraqi government: "We utterly condemn the bombings in Baghdad today. Violence has no place in Iraq's future."