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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Zarqawi boomed churches. Wotta surprise. |
| 2004-08-02 |
| Iraq's government blamed al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi on Monday for a series of church bombings that killed at least 11 people, saying the aim was to spark religious strife and drive Christians out of the country. Muslim leaders condemned the car bombings that were timed for Sunday evening services in Baghdad and the northern city of Mosul. The attacks were the first on churches of the minority Christian community since the start of a 15-month insurgency. "There is no shadow of a doubt that this bears the blueprint of Zarqawi," said national security adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie. "Zarqawi and his extremists are basically trying to drive a wedge between Muslims and Christians in Iraq. It's clear they want to drive Christians out of the country," he told Reuters. An Islamist Web site showed photographs on Monday of what it said was the killing of a Turkish hostage by a group linked to Zarqawi. But a Somali held by militants also linked to Zarqawi is to be freed after his Kuwaiti employer agreed to halt operations in the country, Al Jazeera television said. Rubaie said Iraq's national security council would hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the blasts that hit at least five churches in the country, including four in Baghdad. Iraqi police defused two more bombs outside other churches, one in Baghdad and the other in Mosul. The car bomb attacks near the Baghdad churches killed 10 people and wounded more than 40, the U.S. military said, adding the blasts occurred within a 30 minute period. At least one person was killed and 15 wounded by a bomb at a church in Mosul. Christians make up three percent of the Iraqi population and have generally had good ties with the Muslim community, although several recent attacks have targeted alcohol sellers throughout Iraq, most of whom are Christians. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #1 The terrorists may have been ticked that so many Iraqis condemned them when they murdered muslims. They figured, well if we can't get public support murdering muslims, let's see if the public will support us if we murder christians. apparently, the answer was 'no' |
| Posted by: mhw 2004-08-02 10:00:26 AM |