Suicide Bomber Kills 22 At Funeral In Iraq

At Least 40 Wounded At Funeral Of Sunni Grammar School Principle

(AP)  Iraqi police say a suicide bomber killed 22 people and wounded at least 40 at the funeral of a Sunni grammar school principle just west of Baghdad.

The bomber blew himself up inside a funeral tent in the village of Abu Minasir, just west of the capital. Police say that funeral was for Taha Obaid, the principle who was shot and killed one day before in his school. There was no reason known for Wednesday's killing, but many members of so-called Awakening Councils, Sunnis who switched allegiance and are now fighting al Qaeda, were attending the funeral. Col. Faisal al-Zubaie, the director of police in nearby Fallujah, says the original death toll was 18, but some people died later.

Mosques were calling for donations of blood to treat those wounded in the explosion, says al-Zubaie.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki took personal charge of a military operation to rout al Qaeda in Iraq in what the U.S. has described as the terror group's last major stronghold, even as a tenuous cease-fire took hold over Baghdad's Sadr City slum.

The campaign in the northern city of Mosul was the third by al-Maliki in two months as he attempts to stamp out Shiite militants and Sunni extremists across the country.

Also Wednesday, south of the capital, a young girl strapped with explosives killed an Iraqi captain and wounded four soldiers. Iraqi army Lt. Ahmed Ali said the explosives were detonated by remote control as the girl approached the Iraqi commander in Youssifiyah, in the area once known as the Triangle of Death.

Both Iraqi and American spokesmen confirmed that the attack took place, and the U.S. military said it was investigating. Maj. John Hall, a coalition spokesman, said U.S. reports indicated one Iraqi soldier was killed and seven wounded.

Al-Maliki's flight to Mosul, 225 miles northwest of the capital, Iraq mirrors a trip he took almost two months ago to the southern city of Basra, where government troops fought radical Shiite militias. That fighting spread to Sadr City, a Shiite enclave in Baghdad, where a cease-fire to end fighting was reached this week.

Associated Press Television News footage showed al-Maliki being briefed by senior Iraqi officers and officials who used large maps to point out their operations. Al-Maliki made no comment.

"The Iraqi prime minister has arrived in Mosul to supervise the military operations, and its second phase is due to start today," Mohammed al-Askari, the spokesman of the Iraqi Defense Ministry, told The Associated Press. "The main aim of this operation is to purge and clean Ninevah province of all militants and their weapons and declare it a safe area."

Mosul is considered the last important urban staging ground for al Qaeda in Iraq after the terror group lost its strongholds in Baghdad and other areas during the U.S. troop buildup last year.

Al-Maliki has been promising a crackdown since January. But no major offensives have been mounted even as al Qaeda in Iraq tried to exert its influence through attacks and intimidation.

Al Qaeda and its supporters would find themselves without a major base of operations if ousted from Iraq's third-largest city, which occupies transport crossroads between Baghdad, Syria and other points. But a drawn-out fight could serve to rally insurgents and expose potential security weaknesses where U.S. troops are thin and Iraqi forces must take a front-line role.

"We are closely linked with Iraqi security forces and will support operations that the prime minister is developing over the next couple of days," U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner said. He added that Iraqi troops had arrested more than 500 people and captured five weapons caches. He said the operation was shifting gears.

In western Iraq, a senior U.S. commander said Wednesday that al Qaeda persists and that a recent increase in attacks shows that the group remains a threat there. A group of al Qaeda fighters recently infiltrated the area, went to the homes of 11 Iraqi police officers in the Anbar town of Husaybahand and beheaded them and one of their sons, he said.

Marine Maj. Gen. John Kelly, the commander of U.S. forces in Anbar province, said it appeared the insurgents crossed from the Syrian border, talked their way through a checkpoint and then went around the town grabbing police individually.

"I went up to the site yesterday and had never seen so much blood," he said Wednesday at his office at Camp Fallujah. Kelly said 11 of the victims were police officers and another was the son of one of the officers. "We are so hard to kill, they target the police," he said.

"Al Qaeda is not defeated. It's an ideology," he said. "Al Qaeda is still operational but on a smaller scale."

Sadr City was largely quiet Wednesday as Shiite fighters appeared to respect a cease-fire agreement, though some skirmishes were still being reported. The fighting left five dead and 22 wounded, according to hospital officials.

"The cease-fire is still active and we are still at square one," said Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Mousawi, an Iraqi army spokesman. "Nothing has been achieved so far as security forces are still waiting for the Sadrist leaders to prepare the appropriate atmosphere to enable our security forces to enter Sadr City to do their duties."

Bergner said that while U.S. commanders around Sadr City reported a drop in violence, some fighting persisted.

[underdogus]

tic,tic,tic,tic,tic,tic,....WW3.....

[prinzowhales]

"Iraqi police say..." It sounds like the beginning of another lie...rather like, "The Bush Administration said today..."

This is yet another strike by the US and its allies to fuel religious strife in Iraq...Divide and Conquer.

Remember the Guantanamo prisoner who, after allegedly telling the Gitmo authorities that he was now a jihadi and wanted to kill lots of Americans, was released and ended up a ''suicide bomber'' in Mosul? He attacked civilians.

What was this man''s name?--the alleged suicide bomber? We learned the former Gitmo prisoner''s name.
Why not any others. Are the cars used in car bombing still coming from the US?

Troops Home Now!! Down with the New World Order!! FREE IRAQ!...FREE AMERICA!!

[randynason]

To create death in the marked observance of a funeral is obscene and ghastly. What kind of animals have we become?
If there were a unified legion of planetary worlds, ours would surely be quarantined from universal membership. Maybe we already have been.

[ajmarine111]

"The cease-fire is still active and we are still at square one," said Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Mousawi, an Iraqi army spokesman. "Nothing has been achieved so far as security forces are still waiting for the Sadrist leaders to prepare the appropriate atmosphere to enable our security forces to enter Sadr City to do their duties."


Translation:

We are waiting until Al Sadr thinks his a*s has been kissed enough and let''s us in so that we can walk around and act like we run things; but we will leave as soon as Al Sadr calls off the cease fire because we won''t/can''t do the things we need to do about him and we are going to get a lot of our people killed if we stay in Sadr City.

[jboxton]

As long as they are killing other Muslims I don''t care. They are all the same.

[mcvet]

um it is "surge" not "serge" again dragonwagon showing why not the sharpest knife in drawer folks


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Posted by jamesm12341 at 04:59 PM : May 14, 2008
+ report abuse

Without a doubt the most ARROGANT Nazi on this or any other PLANET! When you become so Superior that the ONLY thing you get out of a fellow citizens point of view is a typo... now folks THATS arrogant! A VERY BIG SIEG HEIL to this Bush BOOTLICKER! SIEG HEIL GRAND WIZARD!!

[mcvet]

Or are you referring to THEY who are ANIMALS....the only ones who would ever even THINK ABOUT blowing up a funeral...

MUSLIMS???


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Posted by ddhinnyc at 04:31 PM : May 14, 2008
+ report abuse

I''d suppose you find it very offensive when ALL Christian''s are compared or put in the same Box with the Klan or Christian Idenity? No wonder you fascist are getting your brains kicked in... Sieg Heil Bush

[mcvet]

As long as they are killing other Muslims I don''''t care. They are all the same.


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Posted by jboxton at 05:04 PM : May 14, 2008
+ report abuse

Hey I know you!! You were that freaktoid at the last Klan Rally!! Weren''t you saying that about Blacks then??? Or was it Jews??? Oh I guess to you freaks it doesn''t matter you just hate everyone who isn''t like you huh? Question swastika breath?? What happens when all those we were SUPPOSED to be making free are killed... YOU DO know that was one of the lies for going here don''t you??? Sieg Heil Bush!!

[Marie Zarankevich]

How lovely! -- Somebody blows up a funeral for someone they killed the day before, and all you people can do is have a barroom brawl?? -- Grow Up!

[j-whitman]

MCVet,,,, How goes the war ??? -- We just defeated LibsBlow, JoeCool & mudrose they turned tail & ran

[j-whitman]

jboxton,,,, Actually they are the same as our own Baptists & Evangelists ---- Just a different prophet

[kretos-2009]

Al Ciada
Hell Yeah !

[j-whitman]

Now, a GOP administration gave up on preparing for future wars & is rolling the dice with our troops.

But in a world of limited resources (Our Resources), he said, the Pentagon must concentrate on building a military that can defeat the current enemies: smaller, terrorist groups and militias waging irregular warfare.

If it means putting off more expensive weapons for the future or adding to the stress on the Army %u2014 that is a risk worth taking, he said.

[j-whitman]

It''s time to call for the removal of Secdef Gates, he''s become a party clone

[liberalme]

Without a doubt the most ARROGANT Nazi on this or any other PLANET! When you become so Superior that the ONLY thing you get out of a fellow citizens point of view is a typo... now folks THATS arrogant! A VERY BIG SIEG HEIL to this Bush BOOTLICKER! SIEG HEIL GRAND WIZARD!!

Posted by MCVet at 05:23 PM :

Aww come on MCVet--he''s proud to let us know he''s the village idiot!
Of course, we all knew it anyway, that and he''s a bagger at the local supermarket--but hey, he "takes care of himself"!

[liberalme]

i do take care of myself...dont you take care of yourself? oh, i forgot you need the president to do that for you...that is sad. Oh, Mcvet, i thought your therapist told you to quit posting on here.

Posted by jamesm12341 at 07:14 PM : May 14, 2008

You seem to have an unhealthy fixation on therapy, similiar to one having been institutionalized.
You are familiar with the gestalt form---are you the one who wrote "I''m ok your not"? That would be something you would write with all your criticism.

Now shooo, you''re like a little gnat at a picnic, simply annoying, go look at the pictures in a book.

[crazy_delco]

And more people needlessly die in the name of religion.

[liberalme]

Gawd he is institutionalized! He has the psych terms he''s probably heard for years, down pretty good!

[liberalme]

Are you referring to james? His posts are very entertaining and a good snapshot into the republican mindset. His logic is laughable and his intelligence substandard.


Posted by dragonwagon5 at 07:54 PM : May 14, 2008

Yeah a cute little thing isn''t he? Just the kind of kid to make mama wish birth control could be retroactive.

[liberalme]

yes or no

[skyk-2009]

Don''t you think a President should at LEAST listen to what the people say? When they run and election and the focus of that election is IF WE should take our sons and daughters out of a war, shouldn''t he listen? George W. Bush LIED to us over and over. He ignored evidence that did not fit his goals and he got us into a war that had NOTHING to do with our security. George W. Bush is NO PRESIDENT FOR NO ONE. He''s a fraud plain and simple.

jamesm12341 wrote:

"...If you make a mistake, admit it, learn from it!! Don''t pass it off as a "typo" ...it was mistake telling you that, not a "typo"..."

Quote:

"...it was mistake telling you that..."

I believe that should have been "...it was a mistake telling you that...".

Isn''t it ironic that someone who accuses others of making "mistakes" and "typos" should also suffer the same fate?

jamesm12341 wrote:

"dragonwagon you are trading immature quips with a person who posted that she needs the president to make her "all better". Is that your philosophy also? Do you believe a person should take care of themselves or do you think the president should take care of you?"

Do you feel better defending a President who is a complete and utter idiot?

Or are you just an idiot?

[j-whitman]

What was it Bush said today ?? Oh yeah, "I decided to stop golfing because I felt it wasn''t right for our Troops to see their Commander in Chief playing golf"

1st thing, he had to be pulled off the golf course on that day to do his job & was photographed 2 months later doing what ???? ---- Playing Golf

[yongamerica]

More brotherly love from one Muslim to another. Who else wants a kiss of death?

[j-whitman]

yongamerica,,,, Forget it, I don''t want your kisses -- I''m not into young boys ---- Aproach someone in your GOP, they have a waiting list.... Ask Senator Wide Stance

[j-whitman]

By the way,,,,, Islam is identical to Evangelism & Baptists --- Just a different prophet

yongamerica wrote:

"More brotherly love from one Muslim to another. Who else wants a kiss of death?"

Are you brain damaged or just stupid?

Are you telling me that Christians don''t kill each other?

I''m guessing you''re just fu*king too stupid to realize that.

[yongamerica]

mcdazz let''s just point out a simple fact. When was the last time a Christan, or any other person of a religous faith other than Islam make the news by blowing himself up at a funeral and killing others?

Muslim on Muslim violence shows what hate this religon preaches.

Love thy neighbor as you would yourself is a simple Christian following, that quite frankly is one of Allah''s (God, Earth Mother, whatever) lessons that are programed into every child. It takes a corrupted person to deprogram this out of an individual and Islam has done this very thoroughly.

[yongamerica]

Islam is identical to Evangelism & Baptists --- Just a different prophet Posted by j-whitman

First, why so you believe Mohamed was indeed a prophet and not a false prophet?
Evangelism, as shown by the lastest news of fanatical LDS members show that the similarity is close, scary close. In that regards religon is used as ameans to manipulate people to slave for their master towards an insane goal.

The chasm between Islam and other religions is extremity that a Muslim will go to to honor their god. Quite honestly I can''t understand taht if their god is so powerful, why doesn''t this god need puny mortals to do his bidding?

[yongamerica]

j-whitman I am tired of your political stance. Politics must be your religon as you associate everything good and bad as coming from politics. This is a sad state for you or anyone else, especially your hopeful Messiah, Hillary. I am going to ignore this type of argument from you from now on. consider yourself spam filtered.

[yongamerica]

to those that follow the Islamic fatith, why have you not raised a voice in protest or made even a peep about these people who are damaging your religions creditability? Has secular violence like this the world has witnessed recently been common for millinium? If so, why has it taken so long for the world is to wake up to this fact? Who the He ll is teaching you Muslims that this kind of behavior is OKAY?

[pensacola88]

The Eisenhower administration installed a Democracy in Iran in 1953, which lasted 26 years and disgraced the Carter administration in 1979. The Islamic fundamentalists learned how to topple their government and squash Democracy.

Iran and Iraq are enemies. Now, the Bush administration seeks to install a Democracy in Iraq. We are already seeing the same Islamic fundamentalists squashing Democracy. I doubt they will require 26 years to succeed.

Democracy is only a strong as the beholders allow it to be.

If we initiate an immediate troop withdrawal and accept 300,000 to 400,000 Iraqi refugees, we would be better off. The Iraqi''s who befriended us and tried to participate in a Democracy need a sanctuary here, because if allowed to stay in Iraq, they will be overthrown and killed in a mass execution that Islamic fundamentalists are known for.

Democracy requires a population that accepts political leaders who are not also serving dual roles as clerical leaders. The Islamic population doesn''t permit this to exist in their thinking.

[hungry1968]

"I don''''t want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf. I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal."

Sacrifice, that''''s our Georgie.

Posted by Nancy_Naive at 02:26 AM : May 15, 2008





I wonder if he announced this at one of his 6 week vacations in Crawford, TX, or from the family yacht off the coast of Kennebunkport, ME on one of his 4 week "golf and fishing" expeditions with daddy?

[notblue]

What the fck does golf have to do with a muslim savage blowing people up at a funeral???? What do you Bush haters think of this act?? I guess you would rather bash the presudent for golfing which in your sick minds must be more henous than a suicide attack against innocent grieving civilians. These barbarians aren''t even targeting the military presence so it''s not desperation against the occuppiers as some terrorist supporters would state. What a bunch of losers!

[notblue]

rharrin, you sick fool, Americans didn''t teach these barbarians how to kill innocent civilians by blowingthemselves up their Imam''s taught them with their daily brainwashing at the local mosque, words of hate and intollerance taught by their parents, glorifying martrydom even as children. How anyone can blame civilized people for such uncivlized behavior is simply a product of brainwashing or blinding hatred.

[arlt1627]

rharrin, you sick fool, Americans didn''''t teach these barbarians how to kill innocent civilians by blowingthemselves up their Imam''''s taught them with their daily brainwashing at the local mosque, words of hate and intollerance taught by their parents, glorifying martrydom even as children. How anyone can blame civilized people for such uncivlized behavior is simply a product of brainwashing or blinding hatred.

Posted by notblue at 09:55 AM : May 15, 2008

No we didn''t. But American CIA men did teach them how to use terror, guerilla warfare tactics, IED''s, and more that are now used against us....

[notblue]

artl, whatever, put it in your fiction novel you people will go to any lenght to blame Amercia for the barbarism committed by evil savages that had their indoctrination at a very early age. Do these "cia" trainers start in the homes of these children. Why do you ignore reality to midigate their savagry? What purpose does placing blame on America for these acts accomkplish in yuor sad mind?

[arlt1627]

artl, whatever, put it in your fiction novel you people will go to any lenght to blame Amercia for the barbarism committed by evil savages that had their indoctrination at a very early age. Do these "cia" trainers start in the homes of these children. Why do you ignore reality to midigate their savagry? What purpose does placing blame on America for these acts accomkplish in yuor sad mind?

Posted by notblue at 10:13 AM : May 15, 2008


What part of training the Mujahadeen is fictional?? I even said that the US DOES NOT teach suicide bombings....all I said was that the CIA trained them on how to do all of those items I listed.....Do you DENY that the CIA armed, trained, and financed the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan??

[arlt1627]

notblue,

As a matter of fact I think ANY radical religious/non-religious indoctrination or practice is scary....whether they be Muslims, Jews, Christians, or atheists..... Suicide bombings are horrific and wrong!! I just responded to your talking point about what Americans have taught Islamic groups.....

[notblue]

artl, if you bothered to read this article it''s about a savage act perpetrated by a MUslim extremist in IRAQ during a FUNERAL! HELLO! not about the Afghan fighters, so waht was yuor point again? That the CIA trained this savage? try to comment on the written story, I guess you couldn''t find DIRECT American blame so that was your alternative.

[prinzowhales]

US-sponsored ''dirty war'' terrorism continues...Unfortunately for the Washington''s Terrorist Regime, al-Maliki blew their game to blame the Iranians for providing weapons to the freedom fighters...none of the weapons for a planned display were from Iran...OF COURSE THE WAR PIGS AT CBSNBCABCCNNFOX DID NOT DEEM THIS NEWSWORTHY.

http://www.antiwar.com/porter/?articleid=12841

Troops home now! The real enemy of the American people is the Demopublican Regime in Washington! War...Corruption...energy price gouging...food price thievery...police state...open borders...housing crisis...incompetence and complicity in thrall to villainy!!

[prinzowhales]

Notice the difference between the above story and the WASHINGTON POST story on the same event...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/14/AR2008051403554.html?hpid=sec-world

By targeting the police with their al Qaeda assets, they make the war personal to them...and they use them against the insurgency...vengence is a powerful motivater.

You see the same type of thing in the police attacks on protestors in Toronto where another element of the New World Order was being challenged by democratic protestors...One element of the police dressed as masked ''Anarchists'' and mingled with the protestors throwing rocks at the police...the uniformed police excercised restraint...then, suddenly the ''Anarchist'' were challenged and uncovered as police agents...
In Seattle, Genoa and other places...the ''Anarchists'' were able to withdraw and the police attacked the peaceful protestors after being assaulted by their own ''Anarchists''.

In Iraq, they are using their ''al Qaeda'' assets to provoke and promote terrorism...for the police to react against targets as long as they are labeled as ''al Qaeda''...

[petro49l]

Qada Iraq is a bunch of spineless cowards. Those homosexuals sneak around like a group of school girls. American Soldiers should tear their twig arms off. Q.I. should pack it in. The only stop for them is a deep ditch.

[prinzowhales]

As noted in my last post, the Washington Regime and its New World Order allies, use "false flag" operations as one of their strategies...pretending that their provocateur ''Anarchists'' are with the protestors...having them break the law and assault police officers who then retaliate against the protestors.

In Iraq, they attack the police and their families to ''blood'' them to fight against the freedom fighters that al Qaeda tries to pass themselves off as...

This is why the Regime was so desperate to sell the silly story that the Shi''ia in Iran were aiding their arch-enemies, the Wahabbis, whose theology informs the ''al Qaeda'' CIA front. This attempt must have been recognized as a flop because the press has said since that al Qaeda has ''declared war'' on Iran...and the Hezb''allah...who, with the Lebanese Army is rooting these CIA provocateurs out of Lebanon.