Dozens Killed as Baghdad Bomber Hits Army Recruits

More than 100 injured; attack comes as U.S. combat operations draw to a close

Video

Suicide blast kills at least 60 in Iraq (NBC Nightly News, Aug. 17, 2010) — A suicide bomber posed as a would-be army recruit, waiting in line for hours with hundreds of Iraqis, before detonating his vest in the recruiting center. Iraqi officials say al-Qaida was likely responsible for the attack that killed at least 61. NBC News’ Richard Engel reports. (01:43)

Aug. 17, 2010

BAGHDAD — A suicide bomber sat for hours Tuesday among hundreds of army recruits before detonating nail-packed explosives strapped to his body, killing 61 people and casting new doubt on the ability of Iraqi forces as U.S. troops head home.

In a separate attack later in the day, a bomb attached to a fuel truck exploded in a Shiite nighborhood of Baghdad, killing eight people and wounding dozens of others, Iraqi police said.

Bodies of bloodied young men, some still clutching job applications in their hands, were scattered on the ground outside the military headquarters in central Baghdad following the morning attack. Some of the estimated 1,000 men who had gathered there before dawn for a good spot in line were so desperate for work they returned hours after being treated at hospitals for injuries in the attack. …

Between January and July, 378 Iraqi security personnel were killed, according to the Health Ministry. Over the same period last year, suspected insurgents killed 616 Iraqi policemen and soldiers.

Iraqi security forces have been trying to boost their numbers as the U.S. military leaves the country after seven years of war. Whether Iraqi forces are ready is being hotly debated by American and Iraqi officials.

Iraq’s military commander, Gen. Babaker Shawkat Zebari, acknowledged last week that his army may not be ready to defend the nation until 2020 [link added]. …

A bomb planted on a tanker loaded with kerosene blew up in the northeastern Baghdad neighborhood of Ur shortly after 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, police said. The truck was parked outside of a fuel station that also caught fire. Eight people were killed and 44 others were wounded, officials at two hospitals confirmed.

This summer in particular has seen a spike in violence in Iraq. Data from the Iraqi defense, interior and ministry officials show that July marked the bloodiest month since May 2008 [link added], with more than 500 killed, although tallies compiled by The Associated Press and the U.S. military were lower.

In a similar attack last month, a suicide bomber ripped through a line of anti-al-Qaida Sunni fighters waiting to collect their paychecks near an Iraqi military base [link added], killing 45 people in the mostly Sunni district of Radwaniya southwest of Baghdad.

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Related reports on this site

Iraq War: ‘Ten More Years’ (Aug. 12, 2010)

Video

Iraq general: U.S. should stay until 2020 (MSNBC, Aug. 12, 2010) — Iraq’s top general says U.S. forces need to stay in Iraq until 2020 because his forces won’t be ready until then. NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski reports. (01:34)

Iraq Civilian Deaths at 2-Year High (Aug. 1, 2010)

Mourners carry the coffin of Sheikh Ihsan Abdulatief al-Douri.
(Photo: EPA file)

Mayhem in Baghdad (July 18, 2010)

A man kisses the body of a government-backed Sunni militia member laid on the ground of a hospital yard in the town of Mahmoudiyah, south of Baghdad, on Sunday, July 18, 2010 after the deadly blast. (Photo credit: Reuters)

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: One Year Ago — August 18, 2009

Iraq-Afghanistan Casualties

Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua M. (Bernie) Bernard, 21, New Portland, Maine, died Aug. 14, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Camp Bastion, Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay.

One year ago today, I provided my weekly report of U.S. military deaths in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), compiled from U.S. Department of Defense News Releases.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: Two Years Ago — August 18, 2008

On the Campaign Trail: Day 35

Aubrey Immelman arrives at Lowell Park on the St. Croix River waterfront in Stillwater at the conclusion of his 100-mile walk the length of the Sixth Congressional District from Freeport in Central Minnesota to Stillwater on the Wisconsin border, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2008.

Two years ago today, on the 35th day of my 2008 campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, I worked to catch up on campaign office business after completing my one-week, 100-mile walking tour the length of the Sixth District from Freeport in Central Minnesota to Stillwater on the Wisconsin border.