Baghdad ? A spate of car bombings killed 19 people Sunday in Iraq’s western Anbar province, once a hotbed of insurgency that later became a showcase for restoring peace.

The province was the scene of some of the most intense fighting by U.S. troops during the insurgency. Violence tapered off significantly after local tribes decided to align themselves with U.S. forces instead of al-Qaida in what is widely considered to be one of the key turning points of the Iraq war.

A reinvigorated insurgency in Anbar would pose a grave danger to Iraq’s fragile stability as it prepares for crucial parliamentary elections early next year.

The explosions Sunday occurred in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province about 70 miles west of Baghdad. According to a local police official, a parked car first exploded near the Anbar province police headquarters and the provincial council building.

The second car bombing took place as police and bystanders rushed to the scene to help, while a third car exploded about an hour later at the gates to the Ramadi hospital, the police official said.

Police and hospital officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.