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Aug 16th, 2009


Baghdad Blasts Kill at Least 8

Census postponed indefinitely


An Iraqi policeman secures the scene of a bomb attack which targeted a police patrol in the Karrada neighborhood, central Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009. Several people were injured in the blast, police said. (Photo credit: AP /Hadi Mizban)


Aug. 16, 2009

Bombs hidden in plastic bags near a falafel stand exploded at a market in a mainly Shiite area in Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least eight civilians and wounding 19, Iraqi officials said. It was the latest in a series of bombings targeting Shiites and minorities in the capital and northern Iraq. …

The bags packed with explosives were left among a pile of garbage and exploded shortly before 8 p.m. as the district was crowded with people enjoying the evening. …

The spike in violence follows the June 30 [2009] withdrawal of American troops from urban areas, heightening concerns about the ability of Iraqi forces to protect the people. Political tensions have also risen further as the country prepares for national elections scheduled for January.

Violence has fluctuated throughout the year, but the intense period of bombings in recent days has indicated a more sustained effort, with nearly 160 people killed in blasts since Aug. 7.

Census postponed

Mindful of the fears, the Iraqi government announced Sunday that it has indefinitely postponed a nationwide census after warnings that it could stoke ethnic and political tension.

The population count, which had been scheduled for Oct. 24, would have settled controversies over the size of the country’s religious and ethnic communities. It also had implications for decisions over the fate of the oil-rich area of Kirkuk as well as the budget allocation for the self-ruled Kurdish region in the north.

“The Planning Ministry is technically ready for the census, but after hearing some fears and reservations from political groups in Kirkuk and Ninevah, we decided to stall and the census has been postponed indefinitely,” Planning Minister Ali Baban told reporters during a visit to the Shiite holy city of Najaf. …

It would have been the first nationwide census since 1987. …

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Late update

U.S. troops might go to hot spots in northern Iraq (AP, Aug. 17, 2009) — America’s top commander in Iraq said Monday he wants to deploy U.S. soldiers alongside Iraqi and Kurdish troops in a disputed swath of northern territory following a series of horrific bombings by insurgents hoping to stoke an Arab-Kurdish conflict. The move would be a departure from the security pact that called for Americans to pull back from populated areas on June 30. But Gen. Ray Odierno warned that al-Qaida in Iraq was exploiting tensions between the Iraqi army and the Kurdish militia, the peshmerga, to carry out attacks on villages not guarded by either side. The bombings have killed scores of people since Aug. 7. … Full story

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Related story

Homophobic attacks spreading in Iraq (AP, Aug. 17, 2009) — Militiamen are torturing and killing gay Iraqi men with impunity in a systematic campaign that has spread from Baghdad to several other cities, a prominent human rights group said in a report. … “Murders are committed with impunity, admonitory in intent, with corpses dumped in garbage or hung as warnings on the street,” the 67-page report [PDF] said. … Full story

Iraqi clerics say homosexuality must be eradicated but warn against anti-gay violence.
Muslim clerics in Iraq say homosexuality must be eradicated but warn against anti-gay violence. (Photo credit: CNN / Getty Images)

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: One Year Ago Today — August 16, 2008

On the Campaign Trail: Day 33

One year ago today, on the 33rd day of my campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination as House of Representatives candidate in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, I completed the final leg of my 100-mile Sixth District walking tour, setting out from Centerville and walking to Hugo and Stillwater.


Aubrey Immelman’s family welcomes him upon arrival at Lowell Park on the St. Croix River, Stillwater, Minnesota, after his 100-mile campaign swing on foot from Freeport in Central Minnesota to Stillwater on the Wisconsin border, August 16, 2008. From left to right: Pam, Patrick (2), Matt (11), Tim (13), and Elizabeth (9).

I concluded the day’s activities meeting with supporters and local residents at Little Rock Lake in Benton County to discuss constituent and campaign issues.

Addressing voters at Rumors Bar & Grill, Rice, Benton County, after returning from the day's campaign swing through Washington County from Hugo to Stillwater, Aug. 16, 2008.
Addressing voters at Rumors Bar & Grill, Rice,
Benton County, after returning from the day’s
campaign swing through Washington County
from Centerville to Hugo and Stillwater.





3 Responses to “More Bombings in Baghdad”
  1. Immelman for Congress » Blog Archive » Iraq War Destabilizes Middle East Says:

    […] More Bombings in Baghdad (Aug. 16, 2009) […]

  2. Immelman for Congress » Blog Archive » Tom Horner Speaks in St. Cloud Says:

    […] More Bombings in Baghdad […]

  3. Immelman for Congress » Blog Archive » AfPak Insurgents Attack U.S. Fuel Supplies … Again Says:

    […] More Bombings in Baghdad […]

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