BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 26, 2007
14 Killed In Baghdad Pet Market Blast
Bomb Was Hidden In A Box Of Pigeons; More Blasts Target Shiites, At Least 23 Killed
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Play CBS Video Video A Model Neighborhood In Iraq Lara Logan joined a group of U.S. soldiers as they provided much-needed supplies to residents in a Sunni area. She soon saw how humanitarian missions can turn into scenes of chaos.
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Video Crackdown On Iraq Violence Iraqi forces and U.S. troops have launched a major crackdown on violence in Iraq, while politicians in Washington debate over increasing troop deployment. Gwen Belton reports.
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Video Panel Shoots Down Iraq Plan In a non-binding resolution, the Democrat-controlled Senate Foreign Relations Committee opposed President Bush's plan to increase U.S. military presence in Iraq. Alison Harmelin reports.
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A wounded man is treated in al-Kindi hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday Jan. 26, 2007 after being hurt in an explosion at animal market. (AP Photo/Ali Abed)
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A man is brought to al-Kindi hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday Jan. 26, 2007 after being hurt in an explosion at animal market. (AP Photo/Ali Abed)
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Aftermath of car bomb blast near market, Baghdad, Iraq, video still, Friday Jan. 26, 2007. (APTN)
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A man cleans up the aftermath of two powerful car bomb explosions in Karrada, a predominantly Shiite neighborhood in central Baghdad, Iraq, Friday Jan. 26, 2007. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
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Residents clean up the aftermath of two powerful car bomb explosions in Karrada, a predominantly Shiite neighborhood in central Baghdad, Iraq, Friday Jan. 26, 2007. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
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Interactive Iraq: A Turning Point? New Congress, change at the Pentagon, study group report; what does the future hold?
Violence continued across Iraq Friday — the Islamic holy day — as a bomb in Talafar killed at least nine people and further blasts in Mosul and the capital claimed an unknown number of casualties.
The attacks, mostly targeting Shiite civilians, come just days ahead of one of the holiest dates on the calendar for the Muslim sect — Ashura, the anniversary of the death of Imam Hussain, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson.
The market bomb in Baghdad exploded Friday late in the morning at the Souq al-Ghazl market, which attracts buyers and sellers peddling birds, dogs, cats, sheep and goats and exotic animals such as snakes and monkeys.
Police and hospital officials said at least 14 people were killed and 62 were wounded.
Iraqi police sources tell CBS News that the blasts in Talafar and Mosul targeted Shiite mosques, and although no further details on casualties were immediately available, the mosques were likely to have been full of men attending Friday afternoon prayers.
The sources say there were two late afternoon explosions in Baghdad, one of them an improvised explosive device believed to have killed two people. There was no information available on the other blast.
A witness of the morning explosion at the pet market said a man arrived with an egg carton containing pigeons for sale, but it exploded after he walked away to get a drink, striking the potential buyers gathering around the box.
Raad Hassan, a frequent customer at the market, said he was about 60 yards away from the site of the blast.
"My friends and I rushed to the scene where we saw burned dead bodies, pieces of flesh and several dead expensive puppies and birds," he said.
Ali Nassir said dead animals were scattered on the blood-soaked ground and several snakes, monkeys and birds had been let loose from their cages as ambulances and police cars converged on the scene.
"The policemen are firing in the air in order to disperse the crowds of people arriving to find out what happened to relatives who were missing," he said. "The explosion was huge and happened in a crowded place."
An 18-year-old homing pigeon vendor who was wounded expressed frustration at the unrelenting violence in the capital.
"I went this morning to the animal market to earn some money and to entertain myself, instead I was hit by the explosion and lost consciousness, my pigeons and my mobile phone," Sajad Abdel-Jabar said from his hospital bed.
The attack occurred at one of the busiest times at the weekly market and was the latest in a series of bombings against busy commercial targets in the capital as suspected Sunni insurgents seek to maximize the number of casualties in pressing their campaign of violence before a U.S.-Iraqi security crackdown gets started.
The blast also came an hour before the start of a four-hour vehicle ban that is imposed every Friday in the capital to prevent car bombs from striking mosques during weekly Islamic prayers.
The al-Ghazl market, or Spinning Market, also was attacked in early June, when two bombings struck in quick succession, killing at least five people, as insurgents often strike commercial targets to maximize the casualties.
The popular market stands on the eastern side of the Tigris River next to the famous 13th century Sunni Ulama Mosque that was built by the Abbasid dynasty. The shops around the mosque used to be for its spinning mills but the area transformed into an animal market a few decades ago.
The shops are open all the week but vendors come on Friday and set up stalls on the 500-yard-long stretch of pavement on Jumhuri Street.
In other developments:
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The secrets of tennis legend 
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See all 22 CommentsYour comments are really self-debunking.
Re: "Why do they keep blowing up their own people? What is wrong with them?"
From:
"Negroponte and the escalation of death"
www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IA11Ak03.html
"Under the "Salvador Option", Negroponte had assistance from his colleague from his days in Central America during the 1980s, retired Colonel James Steele. Steel, whose title in Baghdad was counselor for Iraqi security forces, supervised the selection and training of members of the Badr Organization and Mehdi Army, the two largest Shi'ite militias in Iraq, to target the leadership and support networks of a primarily Sunni resistance."
"Planned or not, these death squads promptly spiraled out of control to become the leading cause of death in Iraq. Intentional or not, the scores of tortured, mutilated bodies that turn up on the streets of Baghdad each day are generated by the death squads whose impetus was Negroponte. And it is this US-backed sectarian violence that largely led to the hell-disaster that Iraq is today."
Re: "Why is he coming out with all this "I am the decider" junk? Why would he make himself so visible and so reponsible for what is clearly a bungled effort?"
My hypothesis: the Republicans realize that their "surge" plan has zero chance of anything resembling a military success. Even supporters like McCain have hedged by stating that they are not sure if the "plan" will work. Translation- they know full well that it won't.
However, if they can sucker the Democrats (again) into taking action like cutting off funds, they can claim that their "plan" would have worked, if the Democrats would not have surrendered so easily.
The result- the Democrats get to look like they stood up to the "Decider", the Republicans get to blame their mess in Iraq on the Democrats, and, with freed up military resources, the PNAC extremists can then move on to supporting the pending Israeli attack on Iran.
Since the Democrat Party is also in the pocket of Israeli extremist groups like AIPAC, they will have no choice but to support this Israeli effort.
How about:
"...Earlier in the Oval Office, Bush was asked about stepped-up activities in Iraq against Iranian activities thought to be fueling the violence. Bush defended the policy, but said it is no indication that the United States intends to expand the confrontation beyond Iraq's borders...."
Read the Yahoo article and you will laugh on how a man such as this President can be so blinded by his on ego. But of course we can't laugh because there are so many people getting killed.
What I do know is that wars will be more prevalent because the bible says: %u201CYou will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.%u201D Matthew 24:6.
God allows evil to exist in order for His written word to come true. God gives men freedom to choose and "fortunately" Jesus return will be soon because %u201Cevil%u201D is getting to be the %u201Cin%u201D thing to do nowadays, even for so called %u201CConservative Christians.%u201D
I hope and pray that many of the earth%u2019s population will repent and for them to start a beautiful relationship with our Lord Jesus.
He is being a good Republican, letting himself take the blame for the thing. He probably had nothing to do with the decision or the war, and the forces who did are putting him up front and center to take the abuse and blame. Bush is a good Republican, if that is the case. He is doing his duty, I have more respect for the man. He obeys orders, which I think is what passes for morals with these types.
What else can explain the fact that Bush spends most of his time at Camp David riding his bike and fooling around, except now and then to appear on TV and say "I take the blame, it my war, really it is".
Bush is being set up. It makes him look like a good man, in an odd way. A good soldier, a loyal mafia guy, doing what he's told even to take the fall for someone else's screw up.
Once animal rights groups like PETA get hold of thisstory, the insurgency is as good as dead.
Poor little birdies.
Ah yes the Iraqis love to celebrate their new found freedoms by setting off huge explosions. Everyday is like the fourth of July in Iraq. As Bush says, "Freedom is on the march".
Dems need to wake up, they can still profit from the mistakes Bush has made, while still wanting to fight terror and bash al-Qaeda.
The reinforcements are already on the way to Afghanistan and Iraq and there will be no Impeachment or Trial. Your liberal leadership has lied to you once more. On top of that, Kerry, Edwards, Algore, Leiberman and Murtha got Swift Boated by the Democrat Party. Obamma will be next.
Better to kill and wipe out roaches. Period.
As for you, Dally, better clean your gun, put your fatigues back on and go and serve - maybe I'll be right alongside you. That is, unless you serving alongside these roaches who would kill a pet or an innocent animal.
As for Ex, he'd better get off his issues about beating dogs and start consider beating Islamonazis - that is, after he takes his meds.
You too, bozo.
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