Posted on 02/01/2004 1:44:54 PM PST by Lessismore
The US-led coalition in Iraq has vowed to punish those responsible for coordinated suicide bombings which have killed at least 56 people in the northern city of Arbil.
The twin blasts injured more than 100 other people.
In a statement, Iraq's US administrator, Paul Bremer, described the attack as cowardly and said those responsible for the acts would be brought to justice.
The twin bombings took place within minutes of each other at the headquarters of rival Kurdish political parties - the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
The offices were crowded with people visiting the Kurdish leadership during the Muslim festival of Eid, which marks the climax of the Hajj pilgrimage.
The deputy minister of the autonomous Kurdish Government, Sami Abdul Rahman, was killed in the attacks, together with other top officials.
Hospital sources say most of the deaths occurred at the KDP offices, though it is understood senior members of both parties are among the dead.
Meanwhile, an American base north of Baghdad has been pounded by rockets, killing a US soldier and wounding 12 others.
Why isn't this attitude acceptable when it comes to Israel's fight against terror?
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