And, Lourdes, first, tell us, please, about these simultaneous, or almost simultaneous bombings today in Baghdad.

NPR: Twin Bombings in Baghdad Mark Upsurge in Attacks

On Aug. 7, 1998 , the peace in neighboring Kenya, and Tanzania to the south, was shattered when simultaneous bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam killed more than 200 people, most of them locals.

NPR: Pentagon: 'Credible Evidence' for Attack on Somalia

U.S. officials have said they also believe al Qaeda was behind the nearly simultaneous bombings last Monday at three residential compounds that killed 25 people, including eight Americans, in addition to the nine suspected bombers.

CNN: Saudis: Four detainees have links to al Qaeda, attacks

These include the millennium-bombing plot targeting the Los Angeles airport, the 2000 attack on the USS Cole while it was in port in Aden, Yemen, and the nearly simultaneous bombings of the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998.

CNN: The myth, the reality

This overture comes as the probe intensifies into near-simultaneous car bombings May 12 in Saudi Arabia, with the FBI and other U.S. investigators aiding the Saudis.

CNN: Iran denies it harbors al Qaeda terrorists