Posted on 03/07/2007 2:05:16 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
A suicide bomber has killed at least 26 people in an attack on a cafe in a town north-east of Baghdad, police say. The attacker is reported to have walked into the cafe in the town of Balad Ruz and then detonated the device. At least 29 other people were also injured in the incident, a police spokesman told the AFP news agency. In a separate development, three US troops were killed by a roadside bomb attack in the capital, Baghdad, the US military said in a statement.
The soldiers were hit as they were patrolling a well-used route in the city, checking it for hidden explosives, the statement said. A fourth member of the patrol was injured in the incident. Balad Ruz is approximately 70km (45 miles) north-east of Baghdad. The part of the town where the bomb attack occurred is described as being populated by members of the region's Shia Kurd minority. Pilgrims attacked Earlier on Wednesday, at least nine people were killed as Shia pilgrims made their way to the holy city of Karbala. Seven policemen deployed to protect pilgrims were killed by a car bomb in Doura in southern Baghdad. One pilgrim also died. In central Baghdad, one person died when gunmen opened fire on pilgrims.
It follows a double suicide bomb attack in the central Iraqi town of Hilla on Tuesday in which at least 90 Shia pilgrims were killed and more than 150 wounded. Two bombers wearing explosive vests blew themselves up in a large crowd of pilgrims heading to the city of Karbala for religious ceremonies marking Arbaeen - the end of 40 days of mourning for Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohamed who was killed in the year 681. Iraq has seen a sharp rise in violence between Sunni and Shia Muslims since an attack on a key Shia shrine in Samarra just over a year ago. Baghdad has been at the centre of a three-week-old US-Iraqi security push, and US military commanders have been warning that militants may focus their efforts on launching attacks outside the capital.
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Great, now they are blowing up people in cafes. That will make the Iraqis REALLY want to support their cause.
al-Qaeda doesn't want Iraqis to support their cause. They want Iraqis to have no faith in the Iraqi government and put their faith in militias, which would lead to a failed state and civil war in Iraq.
I'm holding my breath waiting for some imam, any imam, to state that blowing up scores of innocent civilians with a suicide bomb is, you know, WRONG.
Keep holding your breath. Just be sure you have your next-of-kin let us know when the funeral is...
This all brings back my thoughts of why we are there... these people know nothing of peace, nor do they act like they want it. Hatred is the name of the game - heck, they don't even care about each other.
I honestly do not believe that any plan put in place by the "infidel America" will every truly take hold in Iraq. WE are learning why Saddam ruled with an iron fist. That is the only thing those people understand.
I say that we train the current Iraqi military/police and get out. It is more than time for them to step up to the plate. But unfortunately, we also know that when we leave, there is almost a certain Civil War in the making. To prevent such a war would mean that whoever is in power must rule with an iron fist... Hmmmm.... see a pattern here?
So you think if we leave they will keep their problems at home?
If suicide bombers were rampant in my city, I'd avoid crowds. You'd think these poor folks would exercise just a little common sense and not gather in groups becoming targets for the bombers -- I just don't get it.
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