Explosion at Mosque in Baghdad

Haaretz (Hebrew Version) ^ | 12/9/2003 | Reuters

[yonif]

Translation:

An explosion occured in the early morning hours in a mosque in Baghdad. Civilians in the area are reporting there are casualties, among them deaths.

[GeronL]

work accident at bomb factory?

[yonif]

Explosion rocks Baghdad mosque
Tue 9 December, 2003 08:39




BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An explosion has rocked a Sunni mosque in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on the same day a blast near Mosul injured 31 American soldiers.

Local Baghdad residents said there may be several casualties from the mosque blast.

U.S. Lieutenant Colonel Frank German said on the scene that the explosion occurred shortly after dawn and appeared to have been inside the Ahbab al-Mustafa mosque in central Baghdad.

German had no details on casualties.

Local residents said several people had died, although that could not be immediately confirmed.

"An explosion rocked the mosque around 6:45 a.m. (3.45 a.m. British time) in the morning. I went to the roof of my house and after three minutes I heard a second explosion," said Ahmed Abdullah, a local resident.

There was blood on the ground inside the mosque.

"When we arrived the flames had been extinguished, we set up a security zone and began the investigations," German said. "As far as we can tell there was an internal explosion inside the mosque."

In the north of Iraq 31 U.S. soldiers were wounded after a car believed to be driven by a suicide bomber exploded at the entrance to their base.

Major Trey Cate of the 101st Airborne Division said soldiers at the base in Tal Afar, west of the city of Mosul, fired on the vehicle when it failed to stop at an entry point.

The vehicle then blew up, he said. "The vehicle did not stop, so soldiers fired on it. It then detonated. None of the injuries are life-threatening," said Cate, adding it appeared to be a suicide bomb attack.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Sharif don't like it

[DeepDish]

Are the injuries covered under workman's comp.

[GeronL]

I thought that was about a girl named Sherry... welcome to cat's paw, welcome to cat;s paw...

-o)

[yonif]

Explosion hits Baghdad mosque
Frmo correspondents in Baghdad
09dec03
AN explosion rocked a Sunni mosque in the Iraqi capital Baghdad today and local residents said several people had died.

US Lieutenant Colonel Frank German said from the scene that the explosion occurred shortly after dawn and appeared to have been inside the Ahbab al-Mustafa mosque in central Baghdad.

He had no details about casualties.

Local residents said several people had died, although that could not be immediately confirmed.

[saquin]

work accident at bomb factory?

My thoughts exactly. Sounds like somebody failed the final exam in the mosque's Bomb-Making 101 class.

[GeronL]

If its an anti-US bomb school with a premature blast, they will soon say the US troops blew it up

[GeronL]

if its true they will try to blame it on the US

[saquin]

If its an anti-US bomb school with a premature blast, they will soon say the US troops blew it up.

Of course they will. I fully expect that to be the next step in the story, trumpeted by Al Jazeera, et al. Just like the bomb-making blast at the Fallujah mosque a few months ago, after which several bystanders claimed to have seen a U.S. missile. I give it about 2 hours before we start to see claims that the U.S. planted the bomb or fired a missile at the mosque.

[yonif]

OK. AP reports it was a missile lauched at the mosque, at least 3 dead and more injured. In that car bomb next to a US base, a few hours ago that we followed, the number of injured is now 41.

[boxerblues]

Thanks for the update, still nothing on the early monring news

[GeronL]

So the US is noe attacking civilians? they'll say in anger and faux outrage!

[boxerblues]

Car Bomber Wounds 41 U.S. Troops in Iraq
15 minutes ago Add Top Stories - AP to My Yahoo!


By BASSEM MROUE, Associated Press Writer

TALAFAR, Iraq - A suicide bomber blew up a car packed with explosives at the gates of a military barracks early Tuesday, wounding 41 American troops just hours after three soldiers died in a road accident in central Iraq (news - web sites), the military said.


In Baghdad, a rocket attack on a mosque left three Iraqi civilians dead.


The attack at the army base occurred at 4:45 a.m. local time when a car drove to the gate of the base in the town of Talafar, 30 miles west of the northern city of Mosul.


Guards at the gate and in a watchtower opened fire on the vehicle and moments later it blew up. The bomb left a large crater at the gate's entryway.


Col. Michael Linnington, commander of the 3rd Brigade which controls the area west of Mosul and all the way to the Syrian border, said the attack was a suicide mission and that the attacker's remains were "all over the compound."


"Right now we have four soldiers that were evacuated and are being treated for blast injuries. In addition, 37 soldiers have nicks, cuts, bruises and some broken bones," he said. A base translator also was injured in the blast, which damaged nearby homes.


Meanwhile, three U.S. soldiers died and one was injured in an accident when an embankment collapsed beneath their armored personnel carriers north of Baghdad, the military said Tuesday. The soldiers belonged to the 2nd Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade.


The deaths bring to 448 the number of U.S. soldiers who have died in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion on March 20. Of those, 308 have died as a result of hostile action.


In Baghdad, three people were reported killed and two injured early Tuesday when a missile exploded in the courtyard of a mosque in the capital's western Hurriyah district.


Ahmed Hussein, the mosque's prayer leader, said the explosion occurred at 6:45 a.m. and that it damaged the building and several cars parked nearby.


In Tokyo, Koizumi's Cabinet on Tuesday approved the dispatch of about 1,000 soldiers to southeastern Iraq, where they will restore water services, offer medical and other humanitarian assistance and help rebuild schools. The dispatch, expected to begin over the next month, will involve elements of Japan's land, sea and air forces.


Following the Cabinet meeting, Koizumi went before the nation to explain why he is pushing ahead with the controversial plan, which opposition leaders say could draw the troops into combat and violate Japan's postwar pacifist constitution.


"We are not going to war," Koizumi said. "The situation in Iraq is severe. We know it is not necessarily safe. But our Self-Defense Forces must still fulfill this mission."


The outline announced Tuesday left the timing of the dispatch open, though a small advance contingent is expected to leave before the end of the year. Japan's defense minister was expected to set the date by early next week.


Under the plan, 600 ground troops will be sent, along with armored vehicles and up to six naval ships, and eight aircraft, including three C130 transport planes.


The total number of troops would be about 1,000, making it the largest overseas deployment since World War II, according to the Defense Agency.


The troops will stay for six months to one year, and, as defensive measures, carry rocket-propelled grenade launchers and other arms that Japanese peacekeepers have never used, news reports said.

Koizumi stressed the need for Tokyo to live up to its commitments to the United States, Japan's most important ally. Japan was criticized by Washington for contributing only money, and not personnel, during the first Gulf War (news - web sites) in the early 1990s.

"America has made many sacrifices to create a viable democracy in Iraq," he said. "Japan must be a trustworthy ally for the United States."

Opponents of the dispatch say Iraq is still not secure enough to fulfill that requirement. Such dangers were underscored last weekend, when two diplomats were gunned down near the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit.

Increased concerns about security have already prompted an exodus of international aid organizations and foreign diplomats.

On Tuesday, guards at the embassy of Bangladesh in Baghdad said the ambassador and his four-member staff had left the country. There was no immediate explanation for the departure.

On Monday, insurgents shot and killed a U.S. soldier who was guarding a gas station in the city of Mosul 250 miles north of Baghdad.

"Four Iraqi males traveling in vehicles stopped approximately 50 meters from a gas station in Mosul and opened fire on coalition soldiers guarding the station," Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt said. "One coalition soldier died of gunshot wounds in that attack."

Hours after the killing, three other U.S. soldiers in Mosul were wounded when a bomb exploded as their patrol passed by.

Kimmitt said there were 18 engagements between Iraqi guerrillas and U.S.-led coalition forces in the past week, down significantly from previous weeks.

"These numbers are significantly lower than recent norms, although we anticipate and are fully prepared for any upturn in attacks in the days and weeks ahead," he said.

On Monday, the U.N. Security Council condemned the attacks by insurgents, noting that the assaults also have targeted foreigners working in the country, including Italians, Spaniards, Japanese, South Koreans and Colombians.

[JustPiper]

God Bless our military ;(

[putupon]

Sharif don't like it

This is not kosher!

[boxerblues]

Its going to be another long day for those families of the 101st

[GeronL]

Col. Michael Linnington, commander of the 3rd Brigade which controls the area west of Mosul and all the way to the Syrian border, said the attack was a suicide mission and that the attacker's remains were "all over the compound."

I like that last bit

[boxerblues]

lol I missed that little tidbit when I skimmed the article. I only wish that none of our guys had any injuries.