BAGHDAD, June 28, 2007
20 Bodies Found, Iraq Blast Kills 22 More
Beheaded Men Found On Banks Of Tigris, Car Bomb Tears Through Crowded Baghdad Bus Station
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Play CBS Video Video Iraqi Forces Found Lacking Criticism of the Iraq war intensified in Congress on the heels of a new investigation that concluded Iraqi forces are not ready to take over the nation's security operations. Jim Axelrod reports.
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Video Hotel Attacked In Baghdad At least five Sunni tribal leaders who had joined forces with the U.S. are dead after a suicide attack on a hotel in Baghdad. Lara Logan reports Iraqis are viewing the bombing as al Qaeda's revenge.
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Video Blast Rocks Baghdad Hotel A devastating blast, said to be the work of a suicide bomber, ripped through the lobby of a major hotel in central Baghdad, killing at least nine people. Lara Logan reports.
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A man stands among destroyed vehicles at a bus station in the Baiyaa neighborhood in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, June 28, 2007. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
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-Iraqi woman look at the site of a blast at a bus station in the Baiyaa neighborhood in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, June 28, 2007. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
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A woman passes destroyed vehicles at a bus station in the Baiyaa neighborhood in Baghdad, June 28, 2007. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
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Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., told reporters Tuesday June 26, 2007: "The president has an opportunity now to bring about a bipartisan foreign policy. I don't think he'll have that option very long." (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke)
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Iraqis gather around a car that was hit by small arms fire in the Shiite enclave of Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, June 27, 2007. According to eyewitnesses, a U.S. military patrol opened fire after getting stuck in a traffic jam. Two civilians were killed and three were wounded in the shootout. The U.S. military did not comment. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)
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Interactive Battle For Iraq The government, the insurgency, key players, background and photos.
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Photo Essay Baghdad Orphanage Horror U.S., Iraqi soldiers rescue 24 severely malnourished and abused boys.
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Photo Essay Iraq In Pictures A daily diary with scenes of the latest attacks and snapshots from the effort to rebuild a nation.
The blast hit a crowded hub in southwest Baghdad's Baiyaa neighborhood, a police officer said on condition of anonymity because of security concerns. At least 52 people were wounded, police and hospital officials said.
Two Iraqi police officers, one from Baghdad and one based in Kut, 100 miles southeast of the capital, said the bodies of 20 people had been found — all men aged 20 to 40 years old — with their hands and legs bound, and some of the heads were found next to the bodies, the officers said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
The bodies were found in the Sunni Muslim village of Um al-Abeed, near the city of Salman Pak, which lies 14 miles southeast of Baghdad.
The Baghdad officer said he learned of the discovery because Iraq's Interior Ministry, where he works, sent troops to the village to investigate. The Kut officer said he first heard the report through residents of the Salman Pak area.
Sporadic clashes had been under way in the Salman Pak area for several days, between Interior Ministry commandos and suspected insurgents, the Kut officer said. It was unclear whether the discovery of the bodies was related to the recent fighting.
Salman Pak and its surrounding area has been the focus of new U.S. military operations to oust suspected al Qaeda fighters from the Baghdad's outskirts. American forces launched a drive into Salman Pak and neighboring Arab Jabour two weeks ago.
At the time, ground forces commander Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno said U.S. troops were heading into those areas in force for the first time in three years.
Many of the victims of the Baghdad bus stop blast had been lining up, waiting for a ride to work. Some 40 minibuses were incinerated in the explosion, police said.
Associated Press Television News video showed an open square at least 50 yards wide, strewn with smoldering car parts and charred bodies with clothes in tatters. Bystanders, some weeping, gingerly loaded human remains into ambulances.
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.
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- When our politicians finally come to their senses, and we leave the killing fields, the Iraqi's will continue to kill each other until they have had enough. Since they didn't have the ballz to take out Sadam themselves, as soon as shrub got 'em we should have split and waited for them (whomever was left) to ask us for help. That is what MY America is about. How many lives and how many dollars would we have saved?
- Reply to this comment
- "So if Saddam didn't have to deal with an insurgency by his own people, no U.S. soldier should have been asked to risk his life for a gutless nation."
We should make this official U.S. policy.
America helps those who help themselves, like Great Britain, Greece and Yugoslavia in WWII, or Israel in the Six Day War.
But no American soldier, sailor, Marine or airman will be sacrificed solely for countries that don't exhibit the iron will to resist tyranny themselves, in spite of reprisals. - Reply to this comment
- "He [Saddam Hussein] didn't have to deal with an insurgency." - speakinup
Then the Iraqi people weren't all that unhappy with him, that U.S. troops could expect a wonderful reception when they overthrew him.
And don't give me this c*rap about, oh, he was so ruthless that everybody was just too scared (i.e. cowardly).
Hitler was as ruthless as they come, and yet the people of Greece and Yugoslavia, for example, rose up and formed guerrilla bands to resist him, despite the most brutal reprisals by the Nazi occupation.
So if Saddam didn't hhave to deal with an insurgency by his own people, no U.S. soldier should have been asked to risk his life for a gutless nation. - Reply to this comment
- "...since the invaion..."
Instant Karma got me, for mocking another poster's misspelling of "refute"... - Reply to this comment
- "Of course, if the shoe were on the other foot, you and your ilk would repute what is being said by the Brookings Institution."
- Posted by speakinup at 09:00 PM : Jun 28, 2007
Of course I would "repute" it, if it represented sound data collection and honest representation, even if the data was not in accord with my point of view.
Notice how I specifically quoted data that showed an improvement if Iraqi electricity outside of Baghdad, since the invaion ? I "reputed" that also, didn't I ?
Remember, as the Spanish proverb says, "Truth may bend but never break."
But when was the last time you (or your ilk) "reputed" any data disagreeable to you ?
Allow me to answer for you (that way the answer will be honest):
NEVER. - Reply to this comment
- usadvisor101,
Re: "we need new heroes. some new faces that have not been bought off by big oil,aipac,credit card industry, big pharmaceutical and the rest."
"we need a revolution."
Agreed. - Reply to this comment
- Yup, usadvisor101, we attacked Iraq for our own little 51st state, one with an abundance of oil. So what's your explanation as to why we left Kuwait? Seems to me they had plenty of oil. This is just another lie that was spawned by the far left.
"Yup. Seems to me the vast majority of politicians - Republicans and Democrats - are tarred with the same brush." Mcdazz
Now, I'm not crazy about our current set of politicians, but when every one is painted with the same brush but you - well, the sad fact is, you are the one out of step. Something tells me this is a common occurrence for you Mcdazz. Been feeling a little frustrated lately ? - Reply to this comment
- "Before the invasion, Baghdad received electricity for between 16 and 24 hours per day with 4 to 8 hours received outside of the capital. Recent information from the Brookings Institution (early 2007) indicates that Baghdad now receives electricity from 4 to 8 hours per day with the remainder of the nation receiving from 8 to 12 hours of electricity per day." Iceman.
So if Saddam hadn't ruled with an iron fist - you know, personally shooting cabinet members that disagreed with him, hanging brothers-in-law, raping whomever he liked - do you think he would have had electricity 16 hours a day ? He didn't have to deal with an insurgency. HE was the terrorist. He killed who he didn't like. Of course, if the shoe were on the other foot, you and your ilk would repute what is being said by the Brookings Institution.
While many Democrats seem eager to promote the 'al-Qaeda-in-Iraq' hoax, the Republicans will most likely use this fictional 'link' to blame the Democrats for our defeat ..." FeelFree1
You are delusional, feelfree.
But you know, reading all your comments is fun. Your ignorance is astounding and, I LOVE it when you liberals get frustrated. - Reply to this comment
- If the U.S. were experiencing three or four Virginia Tech massacres every couple of days, we could say Iraq is "just like in America."
- Reply to this comment
- pwrslm,
How many fully-equipped U.S. soldiers have been killed by IEDs in the U.S. over the past 5 years?
How many in Iraq?
And, if you look at the violent deaths of civilians in Iraq, the rate of death is way higher than in the U.S.
Iraq is an extremely dangerous place. If you wanted to go to the market in the U.S., would you need to wear a flak jacket, have 100s of troops around you, along with support helicopters nearby, just to be "safe"? - Reply to this comment
- [Continued from below...]
"This is, essentially, Iraqi's murdering Iraqi's. Just like in America, where 45 people will be murdered by Americans today.
In a country where 27 million people live, we pay alot of attention to this."
- Posted by pwrslm at 12:41 PM : Jun 28, 2007
The UN High Commission for Refugees has estimated that nearly two million Iraqis have fled the country in recent years, mostly to Jordan and Syria. This would be equivalent to 23 million Americans, out of a population of 300 million, fleeing the country in the last few years to escape the crime statistic you mentioned.
Before the invasion, Baghdad received electricity for between 16 and 24 hours per day with 4 to 8 hours received outside of the capital. Recent information from the Brookings Institution (early 2007) indicates that Baghdad now receives electricity from 4 to 8 hours per day with the remainder of the nation receiving from 8 to 12 hours of electricity per day.
15% of the population is desperately short of food. 13% of Iraqi children under 6 suffer from severe malnutrition.
Only about half the population of Iraq has access to safe drinking water.
When conditions get this bad in America, we'll all be looking back to the Jimmy Carter administration as a Golden Age.
[Source of statistics: Wikipedia] - Reply to this comment
- "This is, essentially, Iraqi's murdering Iraqi's. Just like in America, where 45 people will be murdered by Americans today.
In a country where 27 million people live, we pay alot of attention to this."
- Posted by pwrslm at 12:41 PM : Jun 28, 2007
Just like in America ? Please don't reduce everything to bumper sticker simplicity. America is not engulfed in a violent insurgency against an occupying army of alien culture, religion and race.
Esimates for civilians killed in the U.S. invasion and occupation range from 66,602 (IBC - Iraq Body Count) to 655,000 (Lancet). And IBC notes that the lower figure is most likely an underestimation because "it is likely that many if not most civilian casualties will go unreported by the media."
Continued above..... - Reply to this comment
- usadvisor101 wrote:
"did not hear her say one thing about the fact we invaded iraq for the oil or them gouging the american public while we are at war !!!!
pathetic"
Yup. Seems to me the vast majority of politicians - Republicans and Democrats - are tarred with the same brush.
Unfortunately, sometimes we are left with the choice of the lesser of the two evils. - Reply to this comment
- usadvisor101 wrote:
"did not hear her say one thing about the fact we invaded iraq for the oil or them gouging the american public while we are at war !!!!
pathetic"
Yup. Seems to me the vast majority of politicians - Republicans and Democrats - are tarred with the same brush.
Unfortunately, sometimes we are left with the choice of the lesser of the two evils. - Reply to this comment
- usadvisor101,
Re: "pathetic"
Agreed. - Reply to this comment
- actornaught,
Re: "Possibly the most psychotic arabs have become al qaeda wannabe's in Iraq, which is enough to make them al qaeda, anyway."
I disagree. A wannabe NBA player is not an NBA player, a wannabe college professor is not a college professor, and a wannabe writer for CBS is definitely not a journalist.
There has never been a single serious analysis of the many various Iraqi resistance groups that has ever placed the number of 'foreign fighters' in Iraq at more than a few thousand. Even if we assume that each of these fighters is 'al Qaeda', their numbers do not make up a significant portion of the Iraqi resistance.
It is overwhelmingly the people of Iraq that our forces are attacking, and the people of Iraq have every right to defend themselves.
Those who accept the nonsensical claims about the fabled 'al-Qaeda-in-Iraq' are helping the Bush regime to maintain an excuse for our continued illegal war against Iraq.
What's more, those who accept/promote the 'al-Qaeda-in-Iraq' myth, are helping the Bush regime to establish an ex-post-facto tie between Iraq and the 9/11/01 attacks, where none exists, outside of the Bush regime's use of these attacks to justify their illegal invasion.
While many Democrats seem eager to promote the 'al-Qaeda-in-Iraq' hoax, the Republicans will most likely use this fictional 'link' to blame the Democrats for our defeat and for their 'surrender' in the 'War on Terror', when our soldiers are finally forced to withdraw. - Reply to this comment
- Things to do, & news to watch - Have a nice day
- Reply to this comment
- Possibly the most psychotic arabs have become al qaeda wannabe's in Iraq, which is enough to make them al qaeda, anyway. But since most Iraqi's want the US out, and al qaeda wants us to stay, some sunni & shiite have decided to help the US fight the psychos.
Personally, and i'm sure i'm not alone, the 'Stay the Surge' strategy could suddenly work like magic today, and the whole operation would still be a 3500% failure. It was a failure the minute the looting started, and the blood and treasure costs since then are criminal.
Has d!ck been villa shopping in Dubai yet? - Reply to this comment
- Progress,,,,, No bid contracts are up 43% over the prievious year.
- Reply to this comment
- Re: "Salman Pak and its surrounding area has been the focus of new U.S. military operations to oust suspected al Qaeda fighters from the Baghdad's outskirts."
Other than unsubstantiated hype, there is no evidence that there are any 'al-Qaeda-in-Iraq', so if this is the key thrust of our military's efforts, then they are clearly on another fool's errand.
The only parties that stand to gain from bombing Iraqi civilians are the U.S. invaders and their collaborators. This seems to be part of a sinister divide and rule effort, designed to discredit legitimate Iraqi armed resistance groups and to spread chaos.
Any and all bombings of civilian targets can safely be attributed to U.S. backed death squads, and black-ops activities by various U.S. clandestine groups and their collaborators, includung British SAS troops, Mossad, etc.
www.ipetitions.com/petition/OutNow - Reply to this comment
Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
