Posted on 12/22/2004 3:04:20 PM PST by TexKat
LATIFIYAH, Iraq (AFP) - A car bomb exploded in the trouble spot of Mahmudiya, south of Baghdad, leaving many killed and wounded, the local hospital director told AFP.
"There were many dead and wounded," said Dr. Daoud al-Tai, head of the hospital in Latifiyah, the town after Mahmudiya.
The doctor said he could not keep track of the casualties because many were taken to Baghdad.
The powerful blast ripped the Husseiniyah district, where there are numerous stores and homes, at 6:30 pm (1530 GMT).
"Columns of smoke shot up in the sky after the blast, which destroyed at least four homes and 20 shops," one resident said.
Another local, living outside the area, said the explosion had smashed windows outside the neighborhood.
The US military launched operations in October and again November to root out insurgents in the area, which has been described as a gateway for rebels due to its proximity to the capital and war-torn Fallujah.
Both Mahmudiya and Latifiyah fall within the so-called "triangle of death," a belt of towns south of Baghdad with a high rate of kidnappings and shootings.
Shiite from Basra formed on November 17 a militia, called the Anger Brigade, with the expressed purpose of eliminating Sunni Muslim insurgents preying upon their religious brethren in the "triangle of death".
Evil.
Must be bomb a don.
I remember some time ago on one of the islamic websites how they boasted about the coming of their suicide bombers parade.
IRAN - Iranian group recruiting thousands of suicide bombers for Iraq and Israel
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.