BAGHDAD, Feb. 1, 2008
Twin Bombings Kill Scores In Baghdad
Iraqi Official: 2 Women With Down Syndrome Used In Deadly Strikes At Pet Markets
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Play CBS Video Video Dual Baghdad Suicide Attacks More than 50 people died after a pair of suicide attacks by female bombers. The violence occurred as Baghdad residents said they felt the safest since the Iraq war began. Mark Strassmann reports.
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Video Iraqi Policewomen Subjugated After bombs were strapped to mentally-disabled Iraqi women in a deadly attack, some say that such tragedies could be avoided if Iraq was more receptive to female police officers. Jeff Glor reports.
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A man wounded in a market bombing lies in a hospital in central Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Feb. 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)
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U.S. soldiers stand at the scene of a suicide bombing at a popular pet market in central Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Feb. 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
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Iraqi's participate in the cleanup at the site of a suicide bombing at a popular pet market in central Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Feb. 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
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Iraqi police and other security forces inspect the site of a suicide blast at a pet market in central Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 1, 2008. (APTV)
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Photo Essay Baghdad Pet Bazaar Blasts Two female bombers strike in coordinated attack killing more than 70 people.
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Interactive Battle For Iraq The government, the insurgency, key players, background and photos.
The coordinated blasts - coming 20 minutes apart in different parts of the city - appeared to reinforce U.S. claims al Qaeda in Iraq may be increasingly desperate and running short of able-bodied men willing or available for such missions.
But they also served as a reminder that Iraqi insurgents are constantly shifting their strategies in attempts to unravel recent security gains around the country.
Recruiting women to kill is a growing insurgent trend - made possible, critics say, in part because of what the Iraqi government is doing, reports CBS News correspondent Jeff Glor. At checkpoints in Iraq, women are expected to search women, and men search men. But policewomen are consistently being forced off the job.
Under the American military's watch, more than 1,000 policewomen graduated. Glor reports that since the Iraqis took over, the number is zero.
Though women have been used in ever greater frequency in suicide attacks, the twin attacks at the pet markets could mark a disturbing use of unknowing agents of death.
Brig. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, Iraq's chief military spokesman in Baghdad, said the women had Down syndrome and may not have known they were on suicide missions. He said the bombs were detonated by remote control.
In Washington, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the bombings prove al Qaeda is "the most brutal and bankrupt of movements" and will strengthen Iraqi resolve to reject terrorism.
CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann reports that many teenage boys were among the dead, and the bombers devastated not only the pet markets, but also the emerging sense of confidence that residents of Iraq's capital had begun to feel.
In the early hours of Saturday, Iraqi officials were unable to break down the higher death toll in the two bombings. The police and Interior Ministry officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
Earlier, officials had said the first bomber was detonated about 10:20 a.m. in the central al-Ghazl market. Four police and hospital officials said at least 46 people were killed and more than 100 wounded.
Police said the woman wearing the bomb sold cream in the mornings at the market and was known to locals as "the crazy lady."
The pet bazaar has been bombed repeatedly, but with violence declining in the capital, the market had regained popularity as a shopping district and place to stroll on Fridays, the Muslim day of prayer.
But on Friday, it was returned to a scene straight out of the worst days of the conflict. Firefighters scooped up debris scattered among pools of blood, clothing and pigeon carcasses.
A pigeon vendor said the market had been unusually crowded, with people taking advantage of a pleasantly crisp and clear winter day after a particularly harsh January.
"I have been going to the pet market with my friend every Friday, selling and buying pigeons," said Ali Ahmed, who was hit by shrapnel in his legs and chest. "It was nice weather today and the market was so crowded."
He said he was worried about his friend, Zaki, who disappeared after the blast about 40 yards away.
"I just remember the horrible scene of the bodies of dead and wounded people mixed with the blood of animals and birds, then I found myself lying in a hospital bed," Ali said.
About 20 minutes after the first attack, the second female suicide bomber was blown apart in a bird market in a predominantly Shiite area in southeastern Baghdad. Initial reports had said as many as 27 people died and 67 were wounded, police and hospital officials said.
Rae Muhsin, the 21-year-old owner of a cell phone store, said he was walking toward the New Baghdad bird market when the explosion shattered the windows of nearby stores.
"I ran toward the bird market and saw charred pieces of flesh, small spots of blood and several damaged cars," Muhsin said. "I thought that we had achieved real security in Baghdad, but it turned that we were wrong."
The bombings were the latest in a series that has frayed Iraqi confidence in the permanence of recent security gains.
The U.S. military in Iraqi issued a statement that shared "the outrage of the Iraqi people, and we condemn the brutal enemy responsible for these attacks, which bear the hallmarks of being carried out by al Qaeda in Iraq."
The U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, said the bombings showed that a resilient al Qaeda has "found a different, deadly way" to try to destabilize Iraq.
"There is nothing they won't do if they think it will work in creating carnage and the political fallout that comes from that," he told The Associated Press in an interview at the State Department.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said the attacks were motivated by revenge and an attempt "to stop the march of history and of our people toward reconciliation." He confirmed the death toll was about 70.
Navy Cmdr. Scott Rye, a U.S. military spokesman, gave far lower casualty figures - seven killed and 23 wounded in the first bombing, and 20 killed and 30 wounded in the second.
He confirmed, however, that both attacks were carried out by women wearing explosives vests and said the attacks appeared coordinated and likely the work of al Qaeda in Iraq.
Associated Press records show that since the start of the war at least 151 people have been killed in at least 17 attacks or attempted attacks by female suicide bombers, including Friday's bombings.
The most recent previous attack was Jan. 16 when a female suicide bomber detonated her explosives among men preparing for the Ashoura holiday in a Shiite village in Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad.
While involving women in such deadly activity violates cultural taboos in Iraq, the U.S. military has warned that al Qaeda is recruiting women and young people as suicide attackers because militants are increasingly desperate to thwart stepped-up security measures.
Syria also has reportedly tightened its border with Iraq, a main transit point for incoming foreign bombers.
Women in Iraq often wear abayas, the black Islamic robe, and avoid thorough searches at checkpoints because men are not allowed to touch them and there are too few female police.
Even the use of the handicapped in suicide bombings is not unprecedented in Iraq. In January 2005, Iraq's interior minister said insurgents used a disabled child in a suicide attack on election day. Police at the scene of the bombing said the child appeared to have Down syndrome.
Many teenage boys were among the casualties in the al-Ghazl bombing Friday, according to the officials who gave the death toll. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to release the information.
In Late November, a bomb hidden in a box of small birds exploded at the al-Ghazl market, killing at least 15 people and wounding dozens. The U.S. military blamed the November attack on Iranian-backed Shiite militants, saying they had hoped al Qaeda in Iraq would be held responsible for the attack so Iraqis would turn to them for protection.
The U.S. military has been unable to stop the suicide bombings despite a steep drop in violence in the past six months. Friday's blasts were the deadliest in the capital since an April 18 suicide car bombing that killed 116 and wounded 145. Washington's "surge" of an additional 30,000 soldiers into Baghdad and other parts of central Iraq began in February, but did not reach full strength until June.
In other developments:
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Add a Comment See all 964 Comments
- It sounds like the detonation was quite complete.
Right out of the chute, this article looks like more deadly poopaganda from CBS.
Posted by FeelFree1 at 10:15 PM : Feb 02, 2008
Maybe each time the heads were left and they had the look of downs syndrome--on the other hand, you have a point, if America has done one thing consistently in the War in Iraq--it is lie their azzes off to further the war and garner support. No matter what we say or what the other side does--Americans can NEVER be heroes or good guys in a war we started based on lies and continued on lies. - Reply to this comment
Re: "Feelfree regardless of how it happened the complete truth will never be known to your satisfaction..."
That remains to be seen.
You, on the other hand, are all set though, "radiob".
You eagerly swallowed this fetid and deadly bile from Strassmann...whole!
Yum, yum.- Reply to this comment
- Feelfree regardless of how it happened the complete truth will never be known to your satisfaction and 93 individuals that had wifes, brothers, sisters, children, aunts, uncles, grandparents have been lost in this needless war. 93 lives that are no more different than the average person except in their customs and religion, 93 lives that loved, cried and rejoiced in life and probably wished no one any harm. 93 lives that no one can place a price tag upon. If you are really so committed to ending the war and bringing the perpetrators to justice you need to learn to soften your rhetoric and find a legal source and means to bring about justice. Heaven knows we will not get it from this congress or the next president.
- Reply to this comment
FeelFree1,
At first, I was abridging this sentence to focus on this: "The U.S. military...hoped al Qaeda in Iraq would be held responsible for the attack so Iraqis would turn to them for protection."
This is important, because it seems to bolster the idea that "Al-Qaeda-in-Iraq" is little more than a Made-in-USA ruse.
But the full sentence is also interesting:
"The U.S. military blamed the November attack on Iranian-backed Shiite militants, saying they had hoped al Qaeda in Iraq would be held responsible for the attack so Iraqis would turn to them for protection."
If the U.S. military had "hoped" that the Iraqis would hold the fabled "al-Qaeda-in-Iraq" responsible, then why would they place the unsupported "blame" on "Iranian-backed Shiite militants"?
Is is that this sentence does not make any sense, or are our military commanders really just that inept?- Reply to this comment
Re: "The U.S. military blamed the November attack on Iranian-backed Shiite militants, saying they had hoped al Qaeda in Iraq would be held responsible for the attack so Iraqis would turn to them for protection."
"Blamed"....Iranian...."al Qaeda"...."hoped"...pathetic.
Who cares about who is to "blame" here. We all know who is ultimately RESPONSIBLE for ALL of this disgraceful catastrophe - King *******, of course!- Reply to this comment
radiob,
Re: "it has at least "witness" to it"
Really? Like who? What did they see? Female "suicide bombers" with Down Syndrome, and remote controlled bombs?
Re: "along with reports from various government officials"
If you are so willing to accept the unsupported claims of some self-interested stooges, then there seems little point in discussing this with you.
You are even more gullible than I had estimated.- Reply to this comment
- As far as the rest, "has no proof to support nothing more than a theory"- then I have equaled the veracity of the claims made in this sloppy yellow-journalism article from Mark Strassmann.
Thank you for helping me to make this point.
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Posted by FeelFree1
You have made no point here with the journalism of this story, it has at least "witness" to it along with reports from various government officials whereas yours has only your singular viewpoint. You had previously made the assertation that the CIA was behind the attack. It''s your straw man. So Feely what is really your problem? Lose your job or your man? - Reply to this comment
Well, so far "speakinup" and "ToolMangler" have swung and whiffed. (three times, in the case of "speakinup", and twice now for "ToolMangler"). "radiob" didn''t even try, but went straight for the ad hominem and straw-man.
Anyone else?
Re: "Two mentally retarded women strapped with remote-control explosives"
Could you explain to me how bombings that kill at least 93 people, could possibly leave enough evidence for anyone to examine much at all, of either the alleged "suicide" bombers, to determine their gender and mental capacity, or of the bombs themselves, to determine their configuration?
It sounds like the detonation was quite complete.
Right out of the chute, this article looks like more deadly poopaganda from CBS.- Reply to this comment
- Good night J , take care and keep the fire burning.
- Reply to this comment
Good night, "j-whitman".- Reply to this comment
radiob,
Re: "Your analogy of why the CIA would construct such a mission has no proof to support nothing more than a theory."
Again, I have not concluded that it was the CIA behind this effort. That is your own straw-man.
As far as the rest, "has no proof to support nothing more than a theory"- then I have equaled the veracity of the claims made in this sloppy yellow-journalism article from Mark Strassmann.
Thank you for helping me to make this point.- Reply to this comment
- Good night folks
- Reply to this comment
- That last item should be good for you, since you seem to blame women for your own inadequacies.
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Posted by FeelFree1
I blame no one for any of my inadequacies but myself. Your analogy of why the CIA would construct such a mission has no proof to support nothing more than a theory. It also is a failed theory Vietnam proves otherwise. - Reply to this comment
- FeelFree1,,, Come on now, play nice, Radio is on our side.
- Reply to this comment
- starleo14672,,, Have you ever met anyone from Main ??
- Reply to this comment
radiob,
Re: "What is the CIA''s goal in this? What is there mission?"
Are you ever able to make an argument without first constructing a straw-man?
Why are you bringing the CIA into it?
Their mission?
For the billionth time, the objest of this propaganda appears to be to further divide and conquer the remaining Iraqis, to undermine and demonize the various LEGITIMATE Iraqi resistance groups, th provide Iraqi collaborators with some witches to hunt, instead of hunting our soldiers, and to provide an excuse for continuing the CRIMINAL, FAILED, AND SELF-DEFEATING, LIE-BASED INVASION OF IRAQ, WHERE NO SUCH EXCUSE OTHERWISE EXISTS.
It also works to present the Iraqi resistance as "desperate", and the Iraqi people as savages that somehow deserve the death and misery that we have delivered to them.
That last item should be good for you, since you seem to blame women for your own inadequacies.- Reply to this comment
- Another one who will say & do anything to get elected America doesn''''t need ever.
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Posted by j-whitman
You just described every candidate that was in the race and those remaining. - Reply to this comment
- radio,,, I understand --- The dude just freaks me out.
- Reply to this comment
- Who? Blackwater? Money and job security, of course, and a perceived justification for their criminal behavior, and terrorism activities.
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Posted by FeelFree1
Lets see you wish to blame this on being a CIA fronted attack supposedly carried out by Blackwater. What is the CIA''s goal in this? What is there mission? - Reply to this comment
- radio,,, Don''t get me wrong, I had a lot of respect for what McCain went through,,
,, But he''s never fought for the troops he said we needed. Since he'' 1st started telling us you can go shopping in Baghdad, It''s been nothing out of him but lies & flip-flops including on his own religion...
Another one who will say & do anything to get elected America doesn''t need ever. - Reply to this comment
