BAGHDAD , Iraq ( CNN ) -- They 're paid to watch for suspicious activity , to prevent bloody attacks . But employees at Baghdad 's surveillance center often watch helplessly as death and destruction unfold before their eyes , on camera . Security cameras watch the streets of Baghdad , but the center 's director says it has a long way to go . The center was set up a year and a half ago , with employees on the lookout for trouble , as police officers in a back room listen to the traffic on their radios . But there are not enough cameras to cover all of Baghdad -- only 5 percent of the city is surveilled under the current system . The cameras picked up suspicious activity last Wednesday , but within 20 seconds -- before any action could be taken -- a truck blew up in front of the Foreign Ministry building . By day 's end , bombings had killed nearly 100 people in the city . The fledgling security surveillance operation has a long way to go , its director acknowledges . The center is understaffed and not yet open around the clock . Watch security camera video of attacks » . Though overall attacks have decreased in Iraq , the images on screen serve as undeniable evidence of the ongoing violence the Iraqi government is struggling to prevent . That effort includes 113 security cameras placed mainly around government buildings throughout the city , though not all are functioning at any given time . Each work station at the surveillance center monitors the feeds from 10 cameras . After last week 's bombings -- which made Wednesday the bloodiest day in Iraq since U.S. combat troops withdrew from Iraqi cities at the end of June -- the center 's managers met with Iraqi security forces in an effort to increase the number of cameras . `` We should all admit responsibility for this major breach of security , '' the director said . `` And we have to fix the system . '' For now , as the carnage fills the screen like a violent movie , employees cringe with guilt . They know that every time there is a blast on screen , it 's because they were not able to prevent it .
U.S. has nearly 100 security cameras around government buildings . But workers often see attacks occurring that they do n't have time to prevent . only 5 percent of the Iraqi capital covered by security cameras . Foreign Ministry 's managers want more cameras ; `` We have to fix the system , '' director says .