WORLD> Middle East
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WORLD> Middle East
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2 explosions in northern Baghdad kill at least 28
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-11-10 23:07 Associated Press Television News video showed the minibus pocked with shrapnel marks with the floor soaked in blood. Girls' shoes were scattered about amid the wreckage. Ahmed Riyadh, 54, owner of a nearby grocery, said called it a "vicious attack" that "did not differentiate between Shiites and Sunnis." "We are fed up with such attacks and we want only to live in peace," he said. "The politicians should work hard and set aside their differences to stop the bloodshed." No group claimed responsibility for the blasts, the single deadliest attack in the Iraqi capital in weeks. But suicide attacks against Shiite civilians are the hallmark of al-Qaida in Iraq, which maintains a limited presence in Baghdad despite military setbacks and the Sunni revolt against the terror movement last year. Violence is down significantly in Baghdad since the worst of the Sunni-Shiite fighting in 2006 and 2007. In recent weeks, however, there appears to have been an uptick in small-scale bombings during the morning rush hour -- targeting Iraqi police and army patrols, government officials heading for work or commuters, in an attempt to undermine public confidence. At least 24 people were killed Oct. 2 in suicide attacks against two Shiite mosques in Baghdad. A string of explosions Sept. 28 in mostly Shiite areas of Baghdad killed at least 32 people and wounded nearly 100. The continuing attacks show the determination of extremist groups to continue the fight against the US-backed government and lie behind US military concern about drawing down the 151,000-member US military force too quickly. A still unratified security agreement with the US would keep American soldiers here until 2012. President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to withdraw all combat troops within 16 months of taking office Jan. 20, although he has said he would consult with the Iraqi government and US commanders before ordering any drawdown. |
