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Mar 11th, 2009


Suicide Bomber Attacks Iraq Tribal Leaders; 33 killed


Iraqi medics treat wounded state-owned Al-Iraqiya TV reporter Ibrahim al-Kateb at Baghdad’s Al-Yarmuk hospital on March 10, 2009. Kateb was wounded in a suicide blast that killed at least 33 people including tribal leaders and army officers outside the town hall in Abu Ghraib, on Baghdad’s western edge. (Photo credit: Khalil al-Murshidi / AFP — Getty Images)


March 10, 2009

BAGHDAD — A suicide bomber struck tribal leaders touring a market in a Sunni area west of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing as many as 33 people in the second major attack in the capital area in two days.

The horrific blast followed a suicide attack Sunday that killed 30 people — many of them police recruits — outside the police training academy in eastern Baghdad.

The two attacks raised fears that Sunni insurgents may be escalating operations even as the U.S. phases out its combat role in Iraq and prepares to withdraw troops from Iraqi cities by the end of June.

More than 40 people were wounded in Tuesday’s blast, which occurred when a bomber detonated an explosives belt as tribal leaders, security officials and journalists strolled through the market in the town of Abu Ghraib, site of the infamous prison at the center of the 2004 detainee abuse scandal.

The leaders had just left a meeting called as part of a government campaign to reconcile local Sunni tribes and Shiites who fled the mostly Sunni town on Baghdad’s western outskirts two years ago but have been trickling back to their homes. …

Running for cover

The dead included two Iraqi journalists working for a private television station and an Iraqi battalion commander, whose troops began firing wildly after the blast, according to witnesses.

Four staffers for government television were injured, one of them critically, the station said. It quoted its employees as saying gunmen also opened fire from nearby buildings, sending terrified survivors scurrying for cover.

Mayor Shakir Fizaa blamed al-Qaida, saying the militants “seized on today’s big meeting to carry out the attack.” He also said some of the casualties were caused by the ensuing gunfire from security forces. …

Although U.S. officials say violence has fallen to its lowest level since the summer of 2003, militants have carried out a series of high-profile attacks since last month.

They also include a March 5 car bombing that killed 13 people at a livestock market in the Shiite city of Hillah and a suicide attack against Shiite pilgrims Feb. 13 that claimed 40 lives near Musayyib.

Also Tuesday, a car bomb exploded near the municipal building in the mainly Christian town of Hamdaniya in northern Iraq, killing two civilians and wounding eight others, according to police.

All those attacks suggested that Sunni extremists may have regrouped after suffering major setbacks on the battlefield and may be planning a new wave of violence as the U.S. military role here fades. …

——

Update: 2 Iraqi journalists killed in Abu Ghraib bombing

Conflict in Iraq video

Deadly attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan (NBC Nightly News, March 10, 2009) — A suicide bomb that killed 33 in Baghdad and increased coalition military casualties in Afghanistan have raise fears of more violence to come. NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski reports. (02:29)

——

Security Developments in Iraq

Following are security developments in Iraq on Tuesday, March 10, 2009, as reported by Reuters.

BAGHDAD – A suicide bomber killed 28 people and wounded 28 others during a tour by tribal leaders and security officials of a market in western Baghdad, a security official said.

MOSUL – A parked car bomb killed two civilians and wounded six people, including two policemen in al-Hamdaniya town, east of Mosul, 240 miles north of Baghdad, police said.

MOSUL – Gunmen killed a woman when they stormed her house in western Mosul, police said.

NEAR MOSUL – A bomb blast killed a young girl west of Mosul, police said.

BAQUBA – Iraqi police arrested nine suspected militants accused of kidnappings in central Baquba, 40 miles northeast of Baghdad, police said.

BAGHDAD – A roadside bomb wounded two civilians in central Baghdad, police said.





3 Responses to “Fears of Escalating Insurgency”
  1. Immelman for Congress » Blog Archive » Massive Bomb Attack on Iraq Govt Says:

    […] March 10, 2009 — Suicide bomber targets tribal leaders at market in Abu Ghraib, Iraq, killing 33. […]

  2. Immelman for Congress » Blog Archive » Eric Massa Blasts Dick Cheney Says:

    […] Fears of Escalating Insurgency […]

  3. Immelman for Congress » Blog Archive » Iraq-Afghanistan Casualties Says:

    […] Fears of Escalating Insurgency […]

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