February 11, 2009 5:17 PM
- Text
Iraqi Deaths Mount, Many Americans Unaware
(CBS/AP)
A bomb-rigged truck sent a deadly storm of metal, stone and jagged plaster through worshippers leaving a Sunni mosque Saturday, killing at least 39 people in a possible sign of escalating internal battles between insurgents and those opposing them.
The motive for the attack was not immediately clear, but it carried the hallmarks of an increasingly bloody struggle for control of the volatile Anbar province — a hotbed of anti-U.S. guerrillas since the uprising in Fallujah in 2004 that helped galvanize the insurgency.
U.S. military envoys and pro-government leaders have worked hard to sway clan chiefs and other influential Anbar figures to turn against the militants, which include foreign jihadists fighting under the banner of al Qaeda in Iraq. The extremists have fought back with targeted killings and bombings against fellow Sunnis.
But the blast in Habbaniyah — in the heart of insurgent territory about 50 miles west of Baghdad — was among the deadliest against civilians in Anbar and could signal a sharp rise in the level of violence.
The imam of the mosque had spoken out against extremists — most recently in this Friday's sermon, local residents said. Also, many people in the neighborhood work for the Iraqi military and police forces, who have come under frequent militants strikes for years.
The truck, filled with building materials such as stone and plaster board, was blown apart as worshippers left following mid-afternoon prayers. Rescuers, including U.S. soldiers, pulled survivors from the debris. The U.S. military sealed off the area and said it opened its medical facilities to "the most life-threatening injuries" among the more than 60 hurt.
A local police official, Lt. Abdul-Aziz Mohammed, placed the death toll at 39. But authorities warned it could rise.
The attack came a day after U.S. troops raided a factory complex in Fallujah full of propane tanks and industrial chemicals that the military said could be used to make bombs. Back-to-back bombings in the past week released chlorine gas and raised worries that insurgents are experimenting with chemicals to boost the terror level of their attacks.
In Other Developments:
At least 14 people were killed in bombings around Baghdad — most targeting Shiite areas — even as U.S.-Iraqi forces press ahead with neighbor-by-neighborhood sweeps seeking to reclaim control of the city. After nightfall, nearly 20 strong blasts reverberated through Baghdad in a reported exchange of fire between U.S. troops and insurgents south of the capital.
A U.S. general warned Saturday that an upsurge in violence outside the capital may delay plans to hand over the Diyala province to the Iraqis by the end of 2007. "I'm not optimistic," he said, given the current situation.
Thousands of Shiites rallied in the holy city of Najaf on Saturday to protest the nearly 12-hour detention of the eldest son of Iraq's most influential Shiite politician as he crossed back from Iran. Amar al-Hakim, 35, was taken into custody Friday at the Zirbatyah crossing point southeast of Baghdad along with his security guards, said his father's secretary, Jamal al-Sagheer.
The Iraqi Union for Journalists said Friday it has demanded an apology and compensation for a U.S.-led raid on the group's headquarters this week. Reporters Without Borders said a U.S. Army mobile unit fired at the headquarters after seeing armed guards, then Iraqi soldiers stormed onto the premises, detained the guards and seized computer equipment. The U.S. military insisted American troops were not involved.
The motive for the attack was not immediately clear, but it carried the hallmarks of an increasingly bloody struggle for control of the volatile Anbar province — a hotbed of anti-U.S. guerrillas since the uprising in Fallujah in 2004 that helped galvanize the insurgency.
U.S. military envoys and pro-government leaders have worked hard to sway clan chiefs and other influential Anbar figures to turn against the militants, which include foreign jihadists fighting under the banner of al Qaeda in Iraq. The extremists have fought back with targeted killings and bombings against fellow Sunnis.
But the blast in Habbaniyah — in the heart of insurgent territory about 50 miles west of Baghdad — was among the deadliest against civilians in Anbar and could signal a sharp rise in the level of violence.
The imam of the mosque had spoken out against extremists — most recently in this Friday's sermon, local residents said. Also, many people in the neighborhood work for the Iraqi military and police forces, who have come under frequent militants strikes for years.
The truck, filled with building materials such as stone and plaster board, was blown apart as worshippers left following mid-afternoon prayers. Rescuers, including U.S. soldiers, pulled survivors from the debris. The U.S. military sealed off the area and said it opened its medical facilities to "the most life-threatening injuries" among the more than 60 hurt.
A local police official, Lt. Abdul-Aziz Mohammed, placed the death toll at 39. But authorities warned it could rise.
The attack came a day after U.S. troops raided a factory complex in Fallujah full of propane tanks and industrial chemicals that the military said could be used to make bombs. Back-to-back bombings in the past week released chlorine gas and raised worries that insurgents are experimenting with chemicals to boost the terror level of their attacks.
In Other Developments:
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