Car Bomb Kills 15 in Village North of Baghdad
U.S. soldier killed in separate bombing
Iraqi security forces inspect the scene of a car bomb attack in Baqouba, a one-time insurgent stronghold about 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, July 20, 2010. A car bomb exploded near a restaurant and coffee shop on Monday, killing and injuring several people. (Photo credit: Adam Hadei / AP)
By Mazin Yahya
July 21, 2010
BAGHDAD — A car bomb outside a Shiite mosque in a village north of Baghdad killed 15 people Wednesday, the third deadly attack in the region in as many days, while a U.S. soldier was killed in a separate bombing in the same province, Iraqi officials and the U.S. military said.
The blast in a shopping area in the village of Abu Sayda also left 21 wounded, Ghalib al-Karkhi, a police spokesman in Diyala province said. Diyala was once an insurgent stronghold, and the three consecutive days of violence there underscores the fragile nature of Iraq’s security as insurgents persist in trying re-ignite sectarian bloodshed. …
The U.S. soldier, who was not identified pending notification of next of kin, was killed by an roadside bomb that struck the American’s vehicle while traveling through Diyala, the U.S. military said in a statement. …
The car bombing was the third attack in and around Baqouba, a former insurgent stronghold about 35 miles north of Baghdad, since Monday.
On Tuesday, a car bomb near a roadside restaurant just north of Baghdad killed one person and wounded seven Iranian pilgrims heading to the holy city of Karbala. A day earlier, a car bomb exploded near a restaurant in Baqouba, killing six people.
The repeated bombings come as Iraq is in its fifth month without a government. Many Iraqis worry that insurgents are trying to use the period of political instability to bring about more violence.
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AFGHANISTAN UPDATE
2 Americans Killed in Helicopter Crash in Afghanistan
Remembering a fallen comrade in Afghanistan — Photoblog: U.S. Army soldiers fire their rifles during a memorial service for Pfc. Brandon King, killed in action in the volatile Arghandab Valley. See and hear the soldiers’ stories, exclusively on MSNBC.com.
July 22, 2010
KABUL, Afghanistan — A helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing two U.S. service members, NATO forces said. The Taliban claimed it shot down the craft, but NATO said it was still investigating.
Hostile fire has not been ruled out in the crash in Helmand province, said Lt. Commander Katie Kendrick, a spokeswoman for the military coalition.
Though helicopters more regularly go down because of mechanical issues in Afghanistan, some have been brought down by insurgent fire. In June, the Taliban shot down a helicopter in Helmand, killing four U.S. service members. …
The crash comes as violence is rising amid a surge of American troops into the south to try to squeeze the Taliban out of their strongholds in Helmand and neighboring Kandahar province. At least 50 U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan so far this month, putting July on track to be one of the deadliest months of the war for the United States.
Sixty U.S. service members were killed in June — a record monthly death toll for the nearly nine-year war. …
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FROM THE ARCHIVES: One Year Ago — July 22, 2009
One-year retrospective: One year ago today, I reported that Iraq’s western city of Ramadi, Anbar province, declared a state of emergency and imposed a vehicle ban after several bomb attacks; bombs also exploded across Baghdad, killing 16 people and wounding dozens.
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FROM THE ARCHIVES: Two Years Ago — July 22, 2008
On the Campaign Trail: Day Eight
Two-year retrospective: Two years ago today, on the eighth day of my 2008 campaign against incumbent U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, I reported being inundated with questionnaires from special interest groups. I also addressed the seemingly dim prospects for the Republican Party in the 2008 election and commented that the GOP generally faced a bleak outlook for the foreseeable future (see also “Future of the Republican Partyâ€).
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