More than 520 people were injured when the two bombs exploded and the death toll is expected to rise in the following weeks. UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband said they were a ‘terrible reminder of the threat from violent extremism.’

Iraq has blamed foreign fighters and accused Syria of involvement, making demands for a UN investigation. However the following Tuesday a militant group linked to al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the bombings. Suicide bombers blew themselves up as senior politicians were meeting to try and break the deadlock over a draft law that would enable elections that will take place in January.

Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said that ‘these cowardly terrorist attacks must not affect the determination of the Iraqi people to continue their struggle against the remnants of the dismantled regime and al-Qaeda terrorists, who committed a brutal crime against civilians.’

Since the bombings there has been a great deal of concern over the safety of Baghdad, as Iraq’s elections will take place in the city early next year. Security analysts worry about a possible repeat of Sunday’s bombings during the upcoming election period, and believe the security must be heightened to avoid any more attacks.

Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said that the blasts that occured at the end of October prove that it is necessary for ‘a senior international envoy to come to Iraq and evaluate the degree of interference targeting stability in Iraq’. The US state department has since stated that it would support a United Nations investigation, if one occurs, into the allegations of foreign involvement in Iraqi violence.