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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
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August 7th,
2009 - Dozens Killed in Bombings Against Shiites in Iraq |
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Dozens Killed
in Bombings Against Shiites in Iraq By Kim Gamel Associated Press August 7, 2009 Baghdad - A suicide truck
bomber flattened a Shiite mosque Friday in northern Iraq, and roadside bombs
struck Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad, as at least 51 people were killed and
scores wounded nationwide. It was the second-deadliest
day since U.S. forces turned over urban security to the Iraqis more than a
month ago, raising fears that Sunni insurgents are intensifying a campaign to
re-ignite sectarian violence that pushed the country to the brink of civil
war. The blast in a northern
suburb of Mosul reduced the mosque and several nearby houses to rubble,
leaving scores of worshippers and neighbors trapped underneath. Rescue crews
and ordinary citizens joined forces to pull bodies from the debris and search
for survivors. At least 38 people were
killed and some 200 wounded, according to police. The attack targeted a mosque
used by members of the minority Shiite Turkomen community in the tense
northern city, which the U.S. military has dubbed the last urban stronghold
of al-Qaida in Iraq. Suicide car bombings are the signature style of attack
used by the terror network. Witnesses said the
explosives apparently were hidden in white bags usually used to transport
grain and casualties were high because the blast struck as funeral services
were being held along with Friday prayers. "I can say that every
house in this humble, small village was affected and even the glass of far
away cars was shattered due to the force of the blast," said Jaafar
Mohammad, whose uncle was killed. "The truck was loaded with huge quantities
of explosives." The governor of the
surrounding Ninevah province, Atheel al-Nujaifi, said many of the wounded
were in critical condition. He blamed Iraqi security forces for failing to
secure the area on the northern outskirts of Mosul. Maj. Derrick Cheng, a
spokesman for U.S. forces in northern Iraq, said the attack was likely part
of a strategy to discredit the provincial government and local security
forces as well as fuel ethnic and sectarian tensions. "These attacks can be
seen as an attempt to feed any divide that currently exists or attempt to
create one," he said in an e-mail. Roadside bombs also targeted
Shiite pilgrims returning from the holy city of Karbala, where hundreds of
thousands of followers converged to celebrate the birth of Mohammed al-Mahdi,
the 12th Shiite imam, who disappeared in the ninth century. Devout Shiites call him the
Hidden Imam and believe he will return to restore peace and harmony. The
ceremonies concluded early Friday morning. Shiite pilgrimages have frequently
been targeted by bombers and gunmen since resuming in force after the
Sunni-dominated regime of Saddam Hussein was ousted in the 2003 U.S.-led
invasion. The first bomb targeted a
minibus ferrying pilgrims back to Baghdad's main Shiite district of Sadr City,
killing at least four people and wounding eight, according to police and
hospital officials. Sattar Jabbar, a 29-year-old
laborer who was sitting on top of the bus, said those killed were sitting
inside to escape the searing summer heat as they returned from Karbala, 50
miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad. "We were filled with
joy and spiritual happiness after the pilgrimage ... though we were also
tired because of the crowds and traffic," he said. "I blame myself
and feel guilty because a friend of mine was trying to climb to the roof to
join us, but unfortunately I suggested he take a seat inside the bus because
of the heat and that caused his death." Two nearly simultaneous
bombs exploded later near the Shaab stadium in eastern Baghdad killed three
pilgrims and wounded 13 others as they were walking home to Sadr City, said
another police official. The blasts came a week after
a string of bombings targeting Shiite mosques in the Baghdad area that killed
at least 29 people. Hours later, an
explosives-laden motorcycle blew up as a police patrol passed by near people
lined up to buy bread at a bakery in a mainly Sunni neighborhood in Baghdad,
killing at least six people - including three policemen - and wounding 30,
officials said. U.S. commanders have said
they were pleased with the progress since U.S. combat troops pulled back from
cities on June 30 as part of a withdrawal plan that would see all American
forces out of Iraq by the end of 2011. But Iraqis continue to face
daily attacks, including spikes in bombings followed by periods of relative
calm. On July 9, a total of 56
people were killed in bombings in the northern, mainly Turkomen city of Tal
Afar and Baghdad - the deadliest day since the handover. U.S. officials have
repeatedly called the security gains fragile and cautioned that a waning
insurgency still has the ability to pull off high profile bombings. They
urged Shiites to show restraint to prevent a return to the retaliatory
attacks that caused sectarian violence to spike after the Feb. 22, 2006,
bombing of a revered Shiite mosque in Samarra. Earlier this week, Ad
Melkert, the new U.N. special envoy for Iraq, welcomed a new sense of
optimism since the Iraqis took over security of the cities but said
"reality is still tainted by an unacceptably high level of
indiscriminate attacks on civilians." The Security Council voted
unanimously on Friday to extend the U.N. civilian mission in Iraq, commending
the country's efforts to strengthen democracy but stressing the need to
improve security and human rights. Associated Press Writer
Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and an AP employee in Mosul
contributed to this report. Copyright © 2009 The
Associated Press. External link: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hwK_CSpBxsNuVUEaDuOwmSSCiqGwD99U87F82 |