Iraqi policemen remove a parked car bomb that detonated in central Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, July 28, 2007. Police said the blast killed at least four and injured ten when the parked car exploded on a busy commercial street. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed )
Car bomb in Baghdad kills five, wounds 20 (Roundup)
Jul 28, 2007, 14:03 GMT
Baghdad - The death toll in a car bombing in central Baghdad Saturday rose to five, with 20 more persons injured, the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) reported, citing a police source.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity told VOI 'five people were killed and 20 injured, all of whom are civilians.'
The source added that a number of private vehicles were damaged by the explosion.
Meanwhile in Basra, a statement by the Multi-National Force (MNF) in southern Iraq said the MNF killed two gunmen in clashes in northern Basra on Friday night.
'A British patrol came under attack with light weapons in the area of Karma. The British soldiers fired back, killing two gunmen,' the spokesman for the MNF in southern Iraq said in a statement received by VOI on Saturday.
There were no British casualties in the clashes that took place 15 kilometres north of Basra, the source added.
'All British camps in Basra came under indirect fire attacks during the past 24 hours but caused no casualties or damage,' the source also said.
Elsewhere in the country, on Saturday US troops captured 16 alleged Qaeda in Iraq members during raids in the northern cities of Tarmiyah and Samarra, an MNF statement said.
'Coalition Forces conducted two coordinated raids south of Tarmiyah targeting associates of high-level al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders,' the MNF statement said, according to VOI.
'The ground forces detained six suspected terrorists for their ties to al-Qaeda in Iraq operations,' it added.
'In Samarra, Coalition Forces raided four buildings in search of an alleged key terrorist leader and close associate of the local al- Qaeda in Iraq emir.
'The ground forces captured the targeted individual, who is also an alleged bomb-maker and involved in kidnappings, assassinations and extortion operations. Four other suspected terrorists were detained with him,' the MNF statement said.
On the political front, the attack launched on Friday against the Sunni National Accordance Front (NAF) by government spokesman Ali al- Dabbagh, continued to dominate the political scene.
On Saturday, the ANF issued a statement denouncing the attack.
'We vehemently denounce the statement issued by the Government Spokesman, and the lies and distortions it included, especially against public figures known for their integrity and patriotism,' the statement said, according to VOI.
Al-Dabbagh had accused the NAF of political blackmail, and attacked personally Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi claiming he was pursuing a (Sunni) sectarian agenda.
Earlier in the week the NAF - which has six ministers and 44 seats in parliament - said that it was suspending its participation in Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government, and that it was considering pulling out of the ruling coalition in a week's time.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Baghdad car bombing kills 4, injures 10
By BUSHRA JUHI Associated Press Writer
Article Launched: 07/28/2007 03:16:22 AM PDT
BAGHDAD—A parked car bomb exploded in a busy shopping street in predominantly Shiite eastern Baghdad on Saturday, killing at least four people and wounding 10, police said.
The bomb was the latest in a series of explosions targeting commercial centers.
The blast struck about noon, a peak time for street vendors and nearby stores along the Maaskar al-Rashid street, a popular gathering point for people selling tires and spare parts for automobiles. Police who gave the casualty toll said several stores also were damaged.
The attack came two days after explosions struck another Shiite market district in the Karradah neighborhood in central Baghdad as it was packed with shoppers, setting buildings and cars on fire and sending three huge columns of smoke billowing into the sky.
Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said the death toll in that attack had nearly doubled to 61 after more bodies were pulled from the rubble. He gave the number of wounded as 94.
He also provided a new explanation for the blasts, saying a single parked truck bombing had caused secondary explosions of two large generators and 10 nearby cars.
Iraqi police in the area said earlier that a garbage truck exploded near the market at about the same time as a Katyusha rocket slammed into a three-story residential building about 100 yards away.
Nobody claimed responsibility for either blast, but the market districts that dot Baghdad frequently
have been targeted by suspected Sunni insurgents seeking to maximize the number of casualties in bombings despite a more than 5-month-old U.S.-Iraqi security crackdown.
Despite the unrelenting bombings, U.S. and Iraqi officials have claimed some success in reducing violence as they fight to gain control of the capital and surrounding areas ahead of a pivotal progress report to be delivered to the U.S. Congress in September.
But criticism has grown over failures of Iraq's leadership on the political front as parliament prepares to recess for an August vacation without passing key U.S.-backed legislation aimed at promoting national unity.
On Friday, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Shiite-dominated government denounced the country's largest Sunni Arab bloc for its threat to quit the ruling coalition, a move that would leave his Cabinet limping along with about a third of its members missing.
The National Accordance Front announced Wednesday it was suspending its membership in al-Maliki's government for now, but would quit it altogether if its demands were not met in a week's time. The 11 demands include a pardon for security detainees not charged with specific crimes, a firm commitment to human rights and the participation of all coalition partners in the handling of security issues.
Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh contended the criticism contained many "distortions" and amounted to an attempt to hinder the political process.
"The policy of threats, pressure and blackmail is useless," al-Dabbagh said in a four-page statement, which charged that the Front, which has six Cabinet members and 44 of parliament's 275 seats, has contributed to some of the policies it criticized.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, also called the move "unacceptable" and said in an interview with U.S.-funded Alhurra television that the Iraqi Accordance Front should have discussed its demands with the country's political leadership in private rather than publicizing them.
U.S. troops captured 16 suspected insurgents during raids targeting al-Qaida in Iraq Saturday in raids in the northern cities of Samarra and Tarmiyah, the military said. The detainees included an alleged bombmaker who also was believed responsible for kidnappings, assassinations and extortion operations, according to a statement.
A fierce gunbattle broke out Friday after a joint U.S.-Iraqi force arrested a rogue Shiite militia leader in the holy city of Karbala, some 50 miles south of Baghdad, leading to an airstrike and the deaths of some 17 militants, the military said.
The military has promised to crack down on Shiite militias, which have been blamed for thousands of execution-style killings and roadside bombings, as well as on Sunni extremists usually blamed for suicide attacks and other bombings.
An Iraqi man walks past a building that collapsed in Thursday's bombing in central Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, July 27, 2007. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
Car Bomb Kills At Least 4 In Baghdad
Attack Hits Area Frequently Struck By Sunni Insurgents
POSTED: 10:44 am EDT July 28, 2007
BAGHDAD -- A parked car bomb exploded in a busy shopping street in predominantly Shiite eastern Baghdad on Saturday, killing at least four people and wounding 10, police said.
The bomb was the latest in a series of explosions targeting commercial centers.
The blast struck about noon, a peak time for street vendors and nearby stores along the Maaskar al-Rashid street, a popular gathering point for people selling tires and spare parts for automobiles. Police who gave the casualty toll said several stores also were damaged.
The attack came two days after explosions struck another Shiite market district in the Karradah neighborhood in central Baghdad as it was packed with shoppers, setting buildings and cars on fire and sending three huge columns of smoke billowing into the sky.
Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said the death toll in that attack had nearly doubled to 61 after more bodies were pulled from the rubble. He gave the number of wounded as 94.
He also provided a new explanation for the blasts, saying a single parked truck bombing had caused secondary explosions of two large generators and 10 nearby cars.
Iraqi police in the area said earlier that a garbage truck exploded near the market at about the same time as a Katyusha rocket slammed into a three-story residential building about 100 yards away.
Nobody claimed responsibility for either blast, but the market districts that dot Baghdad frequently have been targeted by suspected Sunni insurgents seeking to maximize the number of casualties in bombings despite a more than 5-month-old U.S.-Iraqi security crackdown.
Despite the unrelenting bombings, U.S. and Iraqi officials have claimed some success in reducing violence as they fight to gain control of the capital and surrounding areas ahead of a pivotal progress report to be delivered to the U.S. Congress in September.
But criticism has grown over failures of Iraq's leadership on the political front as parliament prepares to recess for an August vacation without passing key U.S.-backed legislation aimed at promoting national unity.
On Friday, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Shiite-dominated government denounced the country's largest Sunni Arab bloc for its threat to quit the ruling coalition, a move that would leave his Cabinet limping along with about a third of its members missing.
The National Accordance Front announced Wednesday it was suspending its membership in al-Maliki's government for now, but would quit it altogether if its demands were not met in a week's time. The 11 demands include a pardon for security detainees not charged with specific crimes, a firm commitment to human rights and the participation of all coalition partners in the handling of security issues.
Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh contended the criticism contained many "distortions" and amounted to an attempt to hinder the political process.
"The policy of threats, pressure and blackmail is useless," al-Dabbagh said in a four-page statement, which charged that the Front, which has six Cabinet members and 44 of parliament's 275 seats, has contributed to some of the policies it criticized.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, also called the move "unacceptable" and said in an interview with U.S.-funded Alhurra television that the Iraqi Accordance Front should have discussed its demands with the country's political leadership in private rather than publicizing them.
U.S. troops captured 16 suspected insurgents during raids targeting al-Qaida in Iraq Saturday in raids in the northern cities of Samarra and Tarmiyah, the military said. The detainees included an alleged bombmaker who also was believed responsible for kidnappings, assassinations and extortion operations, according to a statement.
A fierce gunbattle broke out Friday after a joint U.S.-Iraqi force arrested a rogue Shiite militia leader in the holy city of Karbala, some 50 miles south of Baghdad, leading to an airstrike and the deaths of some 17 militants, the military said.
The military has promised to crack down on Shiite militias, which have been blamed for thousands of execution-style killings and roadside bombings, as well as on Sunni extremists usually blamed for suicide attacks and other bombings.
U.S. General Cites Challenges
The biggest obstacle to building Iraqi security forces is finding leaders who are experienced and not bound by sectarian loyalties, a senior U.S. general told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Lt. Gen. James Dubik said Iraq should get credit for assembling a mix of competent security forces in a relatively short time and under the pressures of constant combat.
It was the first extensive interview Dubik has given since taking over last month as head of a U.S. command charged with training and equipping Iraqi forces.
Iraq's security forces number about 360,000; the total is supposed to reach 390,00 by year's end. Last December, there were 325,000, which was the Baghdad government's original goal. The government has since determined, with U.S. agreement, that tens of thousands more are needed quickly.
"You can't grow a force this fast and have the right number of qualified leaders. You can't do it," Dubik said in an hourlong interview at the U.S. Embassy. "This is a problem now and it will be a problem for a good number of years."
He stressed, however, that in the meantime Iraq is able to field military leaders who are "good enough" to move the security effort toward the eventual goal of taking over for U.S. forces and allowing most of American troops to go home.
"A unit may have only half the leaders that it should have, but it's still doing what it should," Dubik said. They are learning quickly, he said, through experience gained in the heat of battling insurgents.
"Battlefield survival - professional Darwinism - is teaching very good combat skills ... that will ultimately pay off throughout the force," he said, while adding, "It's going to take time to mature."
Dubik said the hardest issue in developing Iraqi military leaders is not training or equipping them. It is finding enough who are experienced and who have a mind-set to resist acting on sectarian loyalties, the general said.
Nonsectarianism, he said, "is a much harder thing to get at" than teaching soldiers how to fight.
The tenor of Dubik's remarks suggest he sees a long road ahead for Iraq, with U.S. assistance. He would not say how long he thinks the current U.S. troop buildup should continue. But he said the stepped-up counterinsurgency effort that began in earnest in mid-June is helping his mission of training and equipping security forces.
The longer the troop buildup lasts, he said, the more it will help in developing competent Iraqi forces. At some point, the U.S.-Iraq offensive will reach a point of diminishing returns, he said, but it is not clear when that time will come.
The counterinsurgency effort has managed, at least for now, to drive insurgents from their havens, giving ordinary Iraqis in some areas enough confidence to step forward and help with their own defense, Dubik said.
That happened this spring in Anbar province, in the west, and more recently in parts of heavily contested Diyala province northeast of Baghdad, he said.
As a result, more people are volunteering to join the Iraqi police, for example, in Fallujah, Ramadi and elsewhere. That has been a boon to Dubik's mission of creating enough Iraqi forces in the months ahead to shift away from U.S. control.
The process will be gradual, he said, not predicting how long it would take.
Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, has developed a war plan that sets a goal of attaining localized security in Baghdad and other key areas by next summer. It also envisions that the Iraqi security forces are capable by the summer of 2009 of sustaining that level of security, with less U.S. support.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment