First, they bombed a crowded parking lot outside the provincial government's headquarters. Seven minutes later, they detonated a car bomb aimed at the rescue workers. An hour later, a third bomb exploded outside the hospital where survivors were receiving treatment.

By the end of the day, 23 people, mostly civilians, were dead and more than 80 wounded in the attacks - two parked-car bombs and a suicide bombing, according to local authorities.

The coordinated assaults heightened fears among Iraqi officials and residents who have warned in recent months that Islamist extremists are trying to retake the Sunni Muslim territories they lost in Anbar.

The province was overrun with insurgents until U.S. forces and their tribal allies drove them out in late 2007.

Yesterday's bombings are only the latest sign of a stepped-up campaign to undermine Anbar security forces and the political process.

The twin car bombings at midday outside the government compound in Ramadi coincided with a visit from a committee sent by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to check on the disbanding of U.S.-allied Sunni militias that were instrumental in the fight against al-Qaeda in Iraq, said Efan Saadoun, head of the security committee for the provincial council.

The Iraqi government seeks to absorb 20 percent of the Sunni fighters into the Iraqi armed forces.

Police said the third explosion, about 1:20 p.m., was caused by a suicide bomber who tried to enter Ramadi General Hospital, but was stopped by guards. Two guards and at least one civilian were killed when the bomber detonated outside the gate, police said.

Police commanders announced an open-ended curfew yesterday for Anbar's two major cities, Ramadi and Fallujah. They also cracked down on journalists trying to cover the blasts.

The Baghdad-based Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, an independent media-advocacy group, said in a statement that police beat reporters and destroyed or confiscated video footage in the aftermath of the bombings.

With little or no popular support in Anbar now, residents said, the insurgents appear to be sending a message that local security forces cannot thwart their operations.

Since June 30, when a U.S.-Iraqi security pact took effect, Iraqi commanders have taken charge of efforts to protect Anbar ahead of elections scheduled for January. It's no easy task in a vast area whose borders with Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan have been the main entry points for foreign fighters.

"Who is responsible for this massacre?" shouted Abdel Moneim Ahmed, 42, a teacher whose face and torso were injured by flying glass. "Where are the security forces? Where is the work of the police?"