Baghdad (CNN) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki met with senior security officials Saturday to review this week's deadly bombings, and said that security and stability must be the country's top priorities.
A wave of explosions across Baghdad killed dozens of people Thursday and spread fears that Iraq's government could collapse in the wake of the U.S. military's departure.
Nearly 70 people were killed and more than 200 wounded in 20 explosions just days after the final U.S. troops withdrew, according to Iraqi Interior Ministry officials.
Al-Maliki said that although some security personnel have collaborated with terrorist groups, "we shouldn't have any doubt about the ability of our security forces to preserve security and stability," according to a statement released by his office.
The seemingly coordinated explosions Thursday struck during the height of morning rush hour, hitting a number of Baghdad's primarily mixed Sunni-Shiite neighborhoods. Nine car bombs, six roadside bombs and a mortar round all went off in a two-hour period, targeting residential, commercial and government districts in the Iraqi capital, two police officials told CNN.
While violence in Iraq has fallen off in recent years, the latest attacks are among the worst since August when a series of coordinated bombings killed at least 75 people in 17 Iraqi cities.
The attacks come amid heightened sectarian tensions, raising fears that the political turmoil in Iraq could spark a return of sectarian bloodshed that nearly ripped the country apart during the height of the war.
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