12 Explosions in Iraq Kill at Least 152

[reeds]

I wonder if those 152 people and their families are happy Sadaam is no longer in power? I wonder if the 1800 U.S. soldiers and their familes are happy we are over there helping Iraq- or are we helping Iraq? What exactally are we getting accomplished anyway?. Al-Qaida sure seems to be doing what they want, when they want. Speaking of Al-Qaida, werent they responsible for 9/11 in the first place? Hmmm..weird, I would have thought we would have focused on that group first? Instead, they are branching out even further now- causing more problems than ever before...imagine that..Thank God the U.S. can multi-task (at least DrBio thinks they can)



12 Explosions in Iraq Kill at Least 152

AP - 42 minutes ago
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A dozen explosions ripped through the Iraqi capital in rapid succession Wednesday, killing at least 152 people and wounding 542 in a series of attacks that began with a suicide car bombing that targeted laborers assembled to find work for the day. Al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility. The one-day death toll was believed to be the worst in the capital since major combat ended in May 2003, and Al-Jazeera said Al-Qaida in Iraq linked the attacks to the recent rout of militants from the city of Tal Afar by U.S. and Iraqi forces

[kg_veteran]

[sarcasm]

Reeds - You're right. If terrorists and other evil people are going to oppose us, we should leave them alone and pacify them as best we can.

[/sarcasm]

[LRB]

Hmmm I wonder if all the familes of the men who died in the revolutinary war were happy after we gained our independence from England? I wonder if all the American civlians who died in that war and their familes were happy that they were no longer under King Georges rule? I wonder if all the familes of those who died in the Civil War were happy that black people were no longer slaves? I wonder if all the families who lost members in World War II were happy that Tojo, Hitler, and Mussulini were no longer in power? I wonder if all the pople who have lost family to keep North Korea from annexing South Korea are happy?

And just how many attacks has Al Queda successfully perpetuated in the US since 9/11/2001? And is that likely because they don't want to?

Reeds you may hate the war on Terrorism and disagree with it's execution, the opponents we have chosen, and any number of matters. But it's shameful to try and exploit the deaths of these innocents at the hands of cowardly terrorists to make you political point. Freedom always has and always will need to be purchased with the sacrifice of lives. Is it worth it? Well that's for each individual to decide, but I think so. Maybe you don't. That's fine if so, you're entitle to your opinion. Or maybe you just disagree with our actions in Iraq. That's fine too. But this ghoulish political capitalization by the left, and you in particular, of human suffering and death is sickening to me.

[reeds]

"Hmmm I wonder if all the familes of the men who died in the revolutinary war were happy after we gained our independence from England?"

LRB- you are honestly going to compare the two? We gained OUR independence from England. You take care or YOUR OWN- get it? Being in Iraq has NOTHING to do with our Independence. I know W brainwashed you people into thinking that- but its been PROVED WRONG many times over. IRAQ and 9/11 were NOT linked!! You go to war because you HAVE TO- not because you want to!!!! Revoluntinary war we had to- IRAQ- we wanted to!!! BIG difference...

[LRB]

Reeds you are the one who doesn't get it. In almost every war, including the revolutionary war, there are people who after losing loved ones or even before feel that it is not worth the loss of life. Not every one in the colonies thought that freedom from England was worth the war, and certainly not everyone who lost a loved one. All you're doing is exploiting those who have been killed. If your political position is a strong one, then you should easibly be able to make it without exploiting the dead and suffering. If your political point isn't that strong, then perhaps you should consider rethinking your positions.

I don't think anyone has claimed that Iraq and 9/11 were directly linked, and I'm certainly not making that claim. But the war on terrorism is on all groups of terrorists who opperate on an international basis. It is certainly a difference of oppinion as how supportive a regime that Saddam Hussein ran in support of international terrorism, but we did find terrorist camps inside his borders when we invaded and we are clashing now with international terrorist groups in Iraq. Certainly an argument can be made that if terrorists are opposing us, then we must be attempting to do something that they don't want us to do and quite probably fear. Reeds you never have to go to war, you always choose to go to war. At the very least even if attacked by an enemy set on the total anniliation of your country and it's populance, you have the choice to lay down your arms and be slaughtered. So you go to war when you choose to go to war, generally that is when the alternative of going to war is less appealing than the alternative of going to war. One thing that history has taught us is that delaying going to war does not mean that lives will be saved. World War II was a prime example of that. That's not carte blanche to go off and start wars left and right, however it is a strong defense that there are possiblilities where lives would be saved by going to war earlier rather than later.

BTW we did not "have to" go to war in the revolutionary war. We had the choice to remain loyal subjects of King George. Canda did for quite some time afterwards. Sure there would have been a cost in freedoms, but we certainly were not left without choices that would not have had us going to war.

[Drbio]

I knew when I saw this earlier on CNN that reeds would post some ignorant thread and revel in the death of others. Sickening.

[Mavdog]

here's the source of this brutal attack.
---------------------------------------------------
Zarqawi declares war on Iraq Shi'ites By Mohammed Ramahi and Faris Mehdawi
2 hours, 26 minutes ago

A suicide bomber killed 114 people in a crowd of Shi'ite laborers in the bloodiest of a wave of attacks in Baghdad, and a statement attributed to Iraq's al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi declared war on Shi'ites.

A total of more than 150 people were killed in Wednesday's violence and the suicide bombing was the second deadliest single attack since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and the start soon afterwards of an insurgency by Sunni Arabs.

Fears of civil war have grown in the run-up to an October 15 referendum on a disputed new constitution for Iraq that is backed by the Shi'ite- and Kurdish-led government. Sunni politicians oppose the charter.

Zarqawi said his declaration of war on Iraq's majority Shi'ite Muslims was in response to the offensive mounted by U.S. and Iraqi forces against insurgents in the town of Tal Afar near the Syrian border, according to an Internet audio tape.

Iraq says nearly 160 insurgents have been killed in the offensive that began on Saturday. Both Baghdad and Washington say Tal Afar is a staging post for foreign fighters entering Iraq from Syria.

"Al Qaeda Organization in Iraq ... has declared war against Shi'ites in all of Iraq," said the voice on the audio tape, sounding like that on previous recordings attributed to Zarqawi. No immediate verification was available.

"As for the government, servants of the crusaders headed by (Iraqi Prime Minister) Ibrahim Jaafari, they have declared a war on Sunnis in Tal Afar. You have begun and started the attacks and you won't see mercy from us," the voice said.

BOMB VICTIMS LURED

In the worst of Wednesday's attacks, the suicide bomber lured the crowd of Shi'ite laborers to a minivan with promises of work, before blowing it up. An interior ministry source said the bomb contained up to 500 pounds (220 kg) of explosives.

"This targeted civilians, innocents. Why women and children?" Mohammed Jabbar railed at the blast site in Baghdad's Shi'ite Kadhimiya area. Bystanders shouted: "Why? Why?"

Another car bomber blew himself up in northern Baghdad, killing 11 people lining up to refill gas canisters, and other bombings rocked the capital. Gunmen dragged 17 people from their homes and killed them in Taji, a northern Baghdad suburb.

A police official said the attacks appeared coordinated. Iraq's al Qaeda wing said in a statement earlier on Wednesday it was waging a nationwide suicide bombing campaign to avenge the U.S.-Iraqi offensive on Tal Afar.

U.S. officials said Zarqawi's apparent declaration of war against Shi'ites later in the day could reflect a disagreement between the Jordanian-born militant and al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Bin Laden and his second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahri, had criticized previous attacks on Shi'ites in rhetoric viewed as strategic guidance for Zarqawi, the officials said.

"Clearly they don't agree on everything. While they have some common goals, Zarqawi has his own agenda," said a U.S. official, who asked not to be identified.

U.S. intelligence agents were reviewing the tape to determine its authenticity, but one official said previous taped Zarqawi messages had proved authentic up to now.

"RAINING BLOOD"

Nayif Atshan, 58, who saw the Kadhimiya blast, said a man in a van pulled up to the crowd and lured people with work offers.

"After the explosion, cars were burning around me and flesh was scattered everywhere. It was raining blood," he said in Karama hospital, with part of his leg blown off.

The hospital was overflowing with victims. Dozens of the wounded screamed in agony as they were treated on the floor, some lying in pools of their own blood.

Police said 114 people were killed and 156 wounded in the blast. The death toll has only been exceeded since the start of the conflict by a suicide car bombing on February 28 this year in which 125 people were killed in Hilla, south of Baghdad.

Another blast echoed across central Baghdad about two hours later. Two more car bombs exploded soon afterwards.

Police said five people were killed and 24 wounded in one of the blasts, near a Shi'ite cleric's offices.

The run-up to the October referendum has increased tensions between Iraq's main communities, Shi'ites, Sunnis and Kurds.

Iraqi officials have accused Sunni militants of attacking Shi'ites, who swept to power in January elections boycotted by most Sunnis, in a bid to spark a civil war.

Sunnis, who comprise 20 percent of the population, dominated Iraq for decades and resent their loss of influence since Saddam Hussein was toppled by U.S. forces in April 2003.

They fear the constitution will institutionalize their reduced role by granting autonomy to southern Shi'ites in line with that enjoyed by Kurds in the north, and by decentralizing control of oil revenues.

Syria, facing U.S. and Iraqi accusations it allows foreign fighters into Iraq, condemned the Baghdad attacks as terrorism.

[capitalcity]

Iraqi Civil War es no bueño.

Why in the hell can't we figure out a way to distinguish real security forces from terrorist imposters?

[FishForLunch]

Reed your pal zarq is really brave killing innocents to take revenge. I seriously think reed would prefer american GI deaths just to prove that war is bad, what a worthless less loathing American.

[reeds]

"Reed your pal zarq is really brave killing innocents to take revenge. I seriously think reed would prefer american GI deaths just to prove that war is bad, what a worthless less loathing American. "

Oh yes, of course I would.. I am the one that doesnt beleive in war- not you pro war mongers. Loss of life to you is just that- loss of life, a casualty of war that happens..shrug it off and go forward. Dont EVER say id prefer Americans to die- your side is for the war, not MINE..but, nice spin anyway- you are great at that..what a joke

[LRB]

Originally posted by: reeds
"Reed your pal zarq is really brave killing innocents to take revenge. I seriously think reed would prefer american GI deaths just to prove that war is bad, what a worthless less loathing American. "

Oh yes, of course I would.. I am the one that doesnt beleive in war- not you pro war mongers. Loss of life to you is just that- loss of life, a casualty of war that happens..shrug it off and go forward. Dont EVER say id prefer Americans to die- your side is for the war, not MINE..but, nice spin anyway- you are great at that..what a joke

Reeds your actions speak much louder than you words of denial. People die every day whether there is war or not. Thousands of civilians died on American soil on 9/11/2001 and we had declared war nor send soldiers abroad to fight in Afghanistan or Iraq. Hundreds die every day in automobile accidents. Death is an unavoidable part of life on earth. But you seem to glorify in deaths that you can twist and exploit to make your political points which you seem sadly handicapped in making said political points minus the explotation of the deaths of others.