Iraq Truck Bomb Kills At Least 115
** CORRECTS TYPE OF VESSEL ** A fisherman watches the arrival of the Royal Navy fleet replenishment vessel, the Fort Rosalie in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, May 30, 2012. The ship's arrival coincides with the 250th anniversary of Britain's two-year rule over Cuba. (AP Photo/Franklin Reyes) / Franklin Reyes
Two nearly simultaneous car bombs killed at least eight people in the capital Sunday, and officials said the death toll from a giant suicide truck blast that killed at least 115 a day earlier could be much higher.
The twin explosions hit Baghdad's Karrada district, which has seen a relative calm for weeks amid a U.S. security crackdown in the capital and on regions to the north and south, where al Qaeda and Sunni insurgents are believed to prepare their deadly car bombs.
Violence has eased somewhat in Baghdad recently, but militants have demonstrated they can still carry out car bomb strikes there — if at a lower rate than in the past — despite the American sweep.
Insurgents also appear to be moving further north to unleash out their devastating attacks in less protected regions beyond the U.S. offensive on Baghdad's northern doorstep — such as Armili, the Shiite Turkoman farming town north of Baghdad that was hit in Saturday's truck bombing.
The toll from the attack was still not clear. Abdullah Jabara, deputy governor of Salahuddin province where the town is located, said Saturday the toll from the blast was 115 dead — nearly three-quarters of them women, children and elderly.
On Sunday, Brig. Abbas Mohmmed Amin, chief of police in the nearby city of Tuz Khurmato, put the toll at 150 dead, while Abbas al-Bayati, a Shiite Turkoman lawmaker, told reporters 130 had been killed.
The count was difficult because of the town's remote location and because many of the dead initially had been buried under rubble that took hours to clear. Saturday's blast ripped through the town market during crowded morning shopping, destroying dozens of old mud-brick homes and shops.
Armili residents on Sunday buried about 70 of the dead. Mourners flowed into mosques and funeral tents set up in the town's main street, where black banners were hung on the walls with names of the dead.
Iraqi army and police forces were out in increased numbers in the streets and closed off entrances to the town to prevent attacks on the funerals — a frequent target of Sunni insurgents, Amin said.
Al-Bayati sharply criticized the security situation in the town, saying an Iraqi army battalion was moved out of the Armili region to Baghdad earlier this year to help in the crackdown in the capital. He said Armili's police force had only 30 members, saying the Interior Ministry had approved an increase in the force only two days before the attack.
U.S. forces are waging an offensive in the city of Baquba, just north of Baghdad, to uproot al Qaeda militants and Sunni insurgents using the region to launch attacks in the capital. But American commanders acknowledged that many extremists fled Baquba before the sweep began in mid-June.
Al-Bayati said Sunni insurgents had fled to the Himrin region, a swathe of mountains southeast of Armili, between it and Baquba.
Armili residents say regions like theirs are being left exposed and vulnerable. Tensions are constantly high between the town's Shiite Turkoman population and the Sunni Arabs who dominate the surrounding villages. Iraqi security presence is scant in the remote region, far from Salahuddin's administrative center and the eye of officials.
"The number of Iraqi police and army in this area is too low. This is a farming area with a lot of empty areas, so it's neglected. There's not even much presence of government officials," said Haytham Khalaf, 37, an Amirli resident whose niece was injured. He accused local Sunnis of helping al Qaeda set up a presence there.
The top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, told The Associated Press on Saturday he expected Sunni extremists to try to "pull off a variety of sensational attacks and grab the headlines to create a `mini-Tet."'
He was referring to the 1968 Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Tet offensive that undermined public support for the Vietnam War in the United States.
In Baghdad, the twin car bombs on Sunday struck around 10:30 a.m. The first exploded near a restaurant that was closed at the time. The blast destroyed stalls and soft-drink stands, killing two passers-by and wounding eight others, a police official said. The area is near the offices of the Supreme Islamic Council in Iraq, the biggest Shiite party in parliament.
About five minutes later, the second car exploded about a mile) away, hitting shops selling leather jackets and shoes. Six people were killed and seven wounded, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
Also Sunday, the military announced that an American soldier was killed in combat a day earlier in Salahuddin province. It did not provide details.
The U.S. military may be forced to tolerate attacks further north as they focus on pacifying Baghdad and its surroundings, hoping that calm in the capital will give the government time to take key political steps. Washington is pressing Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to pass measures to encourage Sunni Arabs to turn away from support of the insurgency to back the government.
Efforts to pass the measures, however, continue to be tied down in political feuding between Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish parties in al-Maliki's fragile coalition. At the same time, tensions have risen with the movement of anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, a former ally of the prime minister.
Clashes broke out Saturday between police and the Sadr movement's militia, the Mahdi Army, in Suwayrah, 25 miles south of Baghdad, killing three civilians and wounding eight, according to a morgue official. Police and Mahdi Army fighters battled for days earlier this week in Samawah, further south.
Al-Maliki on Saturday accused the Sadr movement of being infiltrated by Baathists and gangs in one of his harshest criticisms against the group, and he demanded Sadrist leaders stop violence being carried out in the group's name.
In other developments:
Senior Iraqi leaders are preparing to demand drastic change in the government. CBS News chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan reports that on July 15, they plan to ask for a no-confidence vote in the Iraqi parliament as the first step to bringing down the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The no-confidence vote will be requested by the largest block of Sunni politicians, who are part of a broad political alliance called the Iraq Project. They want is a new government run by ministers who are appointed for their expertise, not their party loyalty. CBS News has learned it was discussed in detail on Vice President Dick Cheney's most recent visit to Baghdad, when he met with the Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi.
Al-Maliki said Saturday that the movement of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has been infiltrated by Baathists and gangs. It's one of his harshest criticisms against the group that helped him come to power. Al-Maliki demanded that Sadrist leaders take "decisive and clear" action to ensure they are not blamed for acts of violence carried out in their group's name.
The U.S. military on Saturday said four soldiers were killed a day earlier in two roadside bomb attacks on their patrols in Baghdad.
A soldier and an Iraqi interpreter were killed Friday when an explosively formed penetrator exploded near their patrol in southeastern Baghdad. Explosively formed penetrators are high-tech bombs that the U.S. believes are provided by Iran, a charge denied by Tehran.
On Thursday, two Marines were killed in western Anbar province and a soldier died in Baghdad, the military statement said.
Another soldier died Friday of a non battle-related cause. His death is under investigation, the military said without giving further details.
3,599 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
As pressure builds for a change in Iraq policy, a top U.S. commander there warned Friday that withdrawing troops too soon would leave the country "a mess." Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch told a Defense Department news conference, "You'd find the enemy regaining ground, re-establishing sanctuary, building more."
In the far south of Iraq, British troops came under heavy attack by militants in Basra, killing one soldier and wounding three, the British military said Saturday. Britain has withdrawn hundreds of troops from Iraq, leaving a force of around 5,500 based mainly on the fringes of Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, 340 miles southeast of Baghdad.
The troops were hit by bombs, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms during an arrest operation in the city before dawn, the military said in a statement. Coalition aircraft destroyed roadside bombs as the British soldiers were extracted from the city, it said.
Britain has withdrawn hundreds of troops from Iraq, leaving a force of around 5,500 based mainly on the fringes of Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, 340 miles southeast of Baghdad. British bases come under frequent mortar attacks from Shiite militias. The U.S. currently has about 155,000 troops in Iraq.
© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The twin explosions hit Baghdad's Karrada district, which has seen a relative calm for weeks amid a U.S. security crackdown in the capital and on regions to the north and south, where al Qaeda and Sunni insurgents are believed to prepare their deadly car bombs.
Violence has eased somewhat in Baghdad recently, but militants have demonstrated they can still carry out car bomb strikes there — if at a lower rate than in the past — despite the American sweep.
Insurgents also appear to be moving further north to unleash out their devastating attacks in less protected regions beyond the U.S. offensive on Baghdad's northern doorstep — such as Armili, the Shiite Turkoman farming town north of Baghdad that was hit in Saturday's truck bombing.
The toll from the attack was still not clear. Abdullah Jabara, deputy governor of Salahuddin province where the town is located, said Saturday the toll from the blast was 115 dead — nearly three-quarters of them women, children and elderly.
On Sunday, Brig. Abbas Mohmmed Amin, chief of police in the nearby city of Tuz Khurmato, put the toll at 150 dead, while Abbas al-Bayati, a Shiite Turkoman lawmaker, told reporters 130 had been killed.
The count was difficult because of the town's remote location and because many of the dead initially had been buried under rubble that took hours to clear. Saturday's blast ripped through the town market during crowded morning shopping, destroying dozens of old mud-brick homes and shops.
Armili residents on Sunday buried about 70 of the dead. Mourners flowed into mosques and funeral tents set up in the town's main street, where black banners were hung on the walls with names of the dead.
Iraqi army and police forces were out in increased numbers in the streets and closed off entrances to the town to prevent attacks on the funerals — a frequent target of Sunni insurgents, Amin said.
Al-Bayati sharply criticized the security situation in the town, saying an Iraqi army battalion was moved out of the Armili region to Baghdad earlier this year to help in the crackdown in the capital. He said Armili's police force had only 30 members, saying the Interior Ministry had approved an increase in the force only two days before the attack.
U.S. forces are waging an offensive in the city of Baquba, just north of Baghdad, to uproot al Qaeda militants and Sunni insurgents using the region to launch attacks in the capital. But American commanders acknowledged that many extremists fled Baquba before the sweep began in mid-June.
Al-Bayati said Sunni insurgents had fled to the Himrin region, a swathe of mountains southeast of Armili, between it and Baquba.
Armili residents say regions like theirs are being left exposed and vulnerable. Tensions are constantly high between the town's Shiite Turkoman population and the Sunni Arabs who dominate the surrounding villages. Iraqi security presence is scant in the remote region, far from Salahuddin's administrative center and the eye of officials.
"The number of Iraqi police and army in this area is too low. This is a farming area with a lot of empty areas, so it's neglected. There's not even much presence of government officials," said Haytham Khalaf, 37, an Amirli resident whose niece was injured. He accused local Sunnis of helping al Qaeda set up a presence there.
The top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, told The Associated Press on Saturday he expected Sunni extremists to try to "pull off a variety of sensational attacks and grab the headlines to create a `mini-Tet."'
He was referring to the 1968 Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Tet offensive that undermined public support for the Vietnam War in the United States.
In Baghdad, the twin car bombs on Sunday struck around 10:30 a.m. The first exploded near a restaurant that was closed at the time. The blast destroyed stalls and soft-drink stands, killing two passers-by and wounding eight others, a police official said. The area is near the offices of the Supreme Islamic Council in Iraq, the biggest Shiite party in parliament.
About five minutes later, the second car exploded about a mile) away, hitting shops selling leather jackets and shoes. Six people were killed and seven wounded, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
Also Sunday, the military announced that an American soldier was killed in combat a day earlier in Salahuddin province. It did not provide details.
The U.S. military may be forced to tolerate attacks further north as they focus on pacifying Baghdad and its surroundings, hoping that calm in the capital will give the government time to take key political steps. Washington is pressing Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to pass measures to encourage Sunni Arabs to turn away from support of the insurgency to back the government.
Efforts to pass the measures, however, continue to be tied down in political feuding between Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish parties in al-Maliki's fragile coalition. At the same time, tensions have risen with the movement of anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, a former ally of the prime minister.
Clashes broke out Saturday between police and the Sadr movement's militia, the Mahdi Army, in Suwayrah, 25 miles south of Baghdad, killing three civilians and wounding eight, according to a morgue official. Police and Mahdi Army fighters battled for days earlier this week in Samawah, further south.
Al-Maliki on Saturday accused the Sadr movement of being infiltrated by Baathists and gangs in one of his harshest criticisms against the group, and he demanded Sadrist leaders stop violence being carried out in the group's name.
In other developments:
The troops were hit by bombs, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms during an arrest operation in the city before dawn, the military said in a statement. Coalition aircraft destroyed roadside bombs as the British soldiers were extracted from the city, it said.
Britain has withdrawn hundreds of troops from Iraq, leaving a force of around 5,500 based mainly on the fringes of Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, 340 miles southeast of Baghdad. British bases come under frequent mortar attacks from Shiite militias. The U.S. currently has about 155,000 troops in Iraq.
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I ask that you provide proof of American supported death squads operatin in Iraq.
I ask for you to explain your statement to the effect you hope Iraqi civilians stand up against U.S. Soldiers.
I laugh at your thought of anything on the web could be takes as the truth, especially a site you have selected which deals with ancient South American policy.
I have never stated or by any means indicated I agree with U.S. policy in Iraq.
I completely disagree with your implications that Iraqi civilians should kill U.S. soldiers. The statement was lost when CBS cleared the board, however you know what you said and I ask that you repeat it, so I am absolutely and crystal clear.
You continuously bash the United States and to the best of my determination defend Iran as well as Al-Qaeda also on a regular basis.
Is it your opinion that Al-Qaeda Iraq did not exist? Who was Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi?
There are many Baghdad residents who are more than able to verify his affiliation. They can also explain how he coldly murdered more than a few and threatened many more if they were to speak with coalition forces.
Nothing on the news or on the web paints an accurate portrait. And you are content with US soldiers getting shot by civilians and post it on the web.
Posted by radiob at 10:31 PM : Jul 08, 2007
Radio, you are somewhat right but I am more interested in a longer period of time than the accepted time as portrayed in the Bible (around 6000 years). As I said earlier
"I make a distinction about being a thinking Christian. I have no problem with evolution. GOD has eternity to do what he wants, why rush things into 6 days. People love to blame GOD for everything they do that is stupid (it was GODS will). or they say "The Devil made me do it", they almost never 'own up to it'.
"Kill The unbelievers" if my GOD cannot stand questions then he would not be my GOD. I question everything and then think and pray about it. Most times my questions are answered. All of my prayers are answered, (sometimes the answer is 'NO!'
See you sometime tomorrow my friend.
Here are a couple of sites on what you are reading
http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/bios/b1hammurabi.htm
http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/essays/comp/cw03hammurabijustinlaw.htm
I am working my way back down from Gilgamesh but haven't gotten to Hammurabi yet but its getting closer. whew! my eye hurts. LOL
Posted by ToolMangler
Are you reffering to the entire Bible? If so Amazon has a wide selection of new translations. I did not mean to leave you hanging but Hamiltongrad is accusing me of being a extremist sympathizer on another post. Far from reality.