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| Iraq |
| Iraq attacks including Baghdad blasts kill 23 |
| 2013-08-26 |
| [Al Ahram] A series of attacks in Storied Baghdad ...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate... and north Iraq killed 23 people on Sunday amid a surge in violence that authorities have failed to stem despite wide-ranging operations targeting krazed killers. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has vowed to press on with his anti-insurgent campaign, which has reportedly led to the arrest of hundreds of alleged Death Eaters and the killing of dozens. But analysts and diplomats say authorities have failed to tackle the root causes the worst violence since 2008, namely anger in the Sunni Arab community over perceived ill treatment at the hands of the Shiite-led authorities and security forces. Sunday's violence struck the Storied Baghdad area and in predominantly Sunni Arab towns and cities to the north, but the deadliest of the attacks hit the capital. A series of bombings -- two boom-mobiles and a roadside kaboom -- went off between 4:00 pm (1300 GMT) and 5:30 pm (1430 GMT) in Storied Baghdad and its outskirts, killing nine people and wounding 22 others, officials said. The blasts struck a variety of neighbourhoods across the city, and were the latest in a burgeoning trend of krazed killer attacks in the afternoon and evening in Storied Baghdad. In previous years, deadly violence has typically been set off during morning rush hour when much of the capital is in gridlock. Attacks on Sunday also hit Salaheddin, Nineveh and Diyala provinces to the north of Storied Baghdad. The deadliest of those occurred near the town of Balad, where a boom-mobile killed five people and maimed 21 others, among them a senior judge who was the apparent target of the blast, according to police and a doctor. In restive Nineveh province, gunnies opened fire on a van ferrying soldiers from Storied Baghdad to their unit in the scenic provincial capital djinn-infested Mosul, killing five of them, an army officer and a doctor said. Also in Nineveh, three separate attacks by gunnies left a soldier and two civilians dead, including a member of the Shabak minority. The 30,000-strong Shabak community mostly lives near Iraq's border with Turkey. They speak a distinct language and largely follow a faith that is a blend of Shiite Islam and local beliefs. Shabaks are frequently targeted in attacks by krazed killers. Two bombings at a house in Baquba, north of Storied Baghdad, killed a child and maimed nine others, according to police and medical sources. |
| Posted by:Fred |