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| Iraq |
| 8 killed in Iraqi violence |
| 2006-06-10 |
| Baghdad was under curfew on Friday to enhance security in the wake of two evening bombings that followed news that Al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi had been killed. Even as US and Iraqi officials predicted that Zarqawi’s surviving lieutenants would launch new attacks to assert their organisation’s continued presence in the country, two car bombs exploded in predominantly Shia neighbourhoods killing 15 people on Thursday. “The curfew is a measure to keep people indoors as there could be more bombings like the ones last night, following Zarqawi’s death,” a Defence Ministry official said. Vehicles were banned from the streets of Baghdad and nearby Baquba, close to where Zarqawi was killed, from 11am (0700 GMT) until 5pm (1300 GMT), coinciding with Friday prayers. Zarqawi was killed on Wednesday in a joint US-Iraqi raid. Websites devoted to Al Qaeda and other jihadi causes have been flooded with messages of support for the organisation and pledges to continue the fight. Joost Hiltermann, Middle East director for the International Crisis Group and a long time Iraq observer, pointed out that Zarqawi’s legacy will long outlive him. “He has helped unleash a sectarian dynamic which is going strong and has gained momentum and is difficult to resist,” he said. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |