July 16, 2009 10:51 AM

The Girl Turned Into A Human Bomb

By
CBSNews
(CBS)  Rania al Ambaki was handcuffed to a gate at an Iraq security checkpoint. She was a human bomb, CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer reports.

Suspicious officers immobilized her, jammed cell phone signals that could detonate the explosives, then carefully removed her suicide vest.

She turned out to be just 15 years old, and her story is an increasingly common one.

She comes from Baquba, an al Qaeda hot spot just north of Baghdad. It's a recruiting ground for women suicide bombers who are responsible for much of the recent carnage in story=3220766>Iraq.

Last year, there were eight women bombers. So far this year, there have been 35. A CBS News crew traveled to Baquba to meet Rania in jail.

"I now thank God that I didn't get blown up," she said through a translator.

Rania told police she had no idea the vest was a bomb. Family members, including her husband, she said, had helped her put it on.

Police think they may have drugged her, and meant to blow her up by remote control.

Rania said through a translator: "They told me that it was a kind of medical vest for back pain."

Gen. Abdul Kareem Qalaf helped interrogate Rania. He said: "She has a low IQ and is a vulnerable teenage girl."

Why does there suddenly seem to be so many women suicide bombers?

Qalaf said through a translator: "Al Qaeda uses these people - the mentally ill, children and very young women. This shows al Qaeda is failing."

Read more foreign news at the new World Watch blog.
Al Qaeda is using women bombers - because it works. In a conservative Muslim society, they're less likely to be searched, and there's a shortage of female security agents to do the job.

As for Rania, she lived to tell a tale that helped police arrest her husband. But her aunt, the suspected ringleader, is still on the run. She's one of a new breed of Iraqi women turned into key players in the ruthless business of terrorism.

Copyright 2009 CBS. All rights reserved.
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by txgrouch2007 December 8, 2008 12:23 AM EST
Although I know that the WMD were moved out before we came, I still don''''t believe that we were justified to do what we did.Posted by VcofReason at 11:26 PM : Dec 06, 2008

Then whoever said THIS was THE WORST PRESIDENT EVER:

"Other countries possess weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles. With Saddam, there is one big difference: He has used them. Not once, but repeatedly. Unleashing chemical weapons against Iranian troops during a decade-long war. Not only against soldiers, but against civilians, firing Scud missiles at the citizens of Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Iran. And not only against a foreign enemy, but even against his own people, gassing Kurdish civilians in Northern Iraq.

%u201DThe international community had little doubt then, and I have no doubt today, that left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will use these terrible weapons again. "

Speech from the Oval Office by President William Clinton, explaining his attack on Iraq
reported by The Associated Press
Wednesday, December 16, 1998

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/clintontext121698.htm

BTW, Bill Clinton was impeached on December 19, 1998.

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by vcofreason December 7, 2008 2:26 AM EST
Although I know that the WMD were moved out before we came, I still don''t believe that we were justified to do what we did. There are lots of countries that harbor terrorists and we don''t go in there blowing them up. If anything, I see countries like Iran and N. Korea as more of a threat.

However, if we were to pull out of Iraq right away, the consequences would be disastrous. I think people who don''t realize that are very, very naive''.
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by dennisjr6 December 7, 2008 12:32 AM EST
I think that she should be sentenced to a "considerable amount" of time in prison....
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by dennisjr6 December 7, 2008 12:27 AM EST
She should be likely, that the security forces did not shot her on site....
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by gaye5 December 6, 2008 10:07 PM EST
OH, that is so sad and so evil, all from the religion of peace... all for Allah, Allah who tells them in the Quran to kill the infidel.

When will our politicians wake up to the fact that this is a war cult and the bombers are the faithful Muslims, the others are just sleepers until the time is right..
Muslims are NOT allowed to kill the innocent, but the infidel, Hundi''s, Buddists, Jews and Christians are not the innocent.
And now it looks like the UN are pushing for religious protection for this horrific religion.. For goodness sake it is us that need the protection from them.. Who is going to lead this new world order that the UN is pushing for, Muslims???
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by ghs4u December 6, 2008 9:43 PM EST
There is no doubt that the girl knew what was going on. Her family was involved. I do not believe she thought the vest was for back pain. She was likely told she would honor her god to sacrifice herself. Or she grew up with enough hatred of others that she did not mind ending her life to get rid of others.//The terrorist groups are not failing when they use women and children. They are aware that we scrutinize them less and desire to help them when they look troubled, in which we would walk right up to them and get blown up. Or they walk through a crowded area without being suspected. Handcuffed to a gate - yeah, that''s a clue. I do not think I will ever understand how they think they are honoring a god by killing themselves and others, lives that God created.
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by flreason December 6, 2008 7:16 PM EST
txgrouch2007:

As the old nursery rhyme says: "A man of words, But not of deeds, Is like a garden full of weeds. All you ever do is grouch about Dems. If you want them to stop kvetching about Republicans, you should lead by example.
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by liberate40 December 6, 2008 6:45 PM EST
Right on sero5. Teens are coerced into doing things against their will. They are forced to give birth against their will and forced to suit up suicide bomber vests in the "glory of Allah".
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by sero5 December 6, 2008 6:41 PM EST
Posted by truthislife1 at 12:52 PM : Dec 06, 2008:
"How is what Al Qaeda is doing to people any different than us here aborting babies out of mothers? We in America are just as wicked a nation."
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Are conservative, pro-lifers like yourself willing to pay spiraling healthcare costs for these unwanted pregnancies? Are you going to coerce pregnant teens to give birth?
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by nothappyatall December 6, 2008 4:02 PM EST
"Al Qaeda uses these people - the mentally ill, children and very young women. This shows al Qaeda is failing."


Hardly! it shows they have the resourcefullness to try new things to accomplish their goals.
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