PUGalicious
01-05-2006, 07:00 AM
From the Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/05/AR2006010500406_pf.html) this morning:
5 American troops killed by roadside bomb attack in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A roadside bomb exploded near a convoy of U.S. troops headed for the Shiite holy city of Karbala on Thursday, and Iraqi police said there were casualties.
Police Capt. Rahim Salho said the attack occurred about 15 miles south of Karbala, as the troops were traveling to assist with the aftermath of a suicide attack. No further details were immediately available, and U.S. officials wouldn't immediately confirm the report.
From Reuters (http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyid=2006-01-05T133747Z_01_FLE444424_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ.xml&rpc=22):
Suicide bombers kill over 110 in Iraqi cities
KERBALA, Iraq (Reuters) - Two suicide bombers killed at least 110 people and wounded more than 200 in the Iraqi cities of Kerbala and Ramadi on Thursday, the second consecutive day of concerted insurgent attacks.
Another three bombs exploded in Baghdad, two of them detonated by suicide bombers, and a roadside bomb targeted a U.S convoy near the southern Shi'ite holy city of Najaf, destroying a Humvee and killing at least two civilians.
Coming a day after 58 people died in a wave of bombings and shootings, the latest bloodshed appeared certain to ratchet up tension between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims after December's election.
Kerbala is one of Shi'ite Islam's holiest cities while Ramadi is a Sunni Arab stronghold and a hotbed of insurgency.
The bombs shattered hope that Iraq might start 2006 on a more peaceful footing.
In all, violence has killed more than 225 people and wounded more than 280 in the five days since the New Year started, a death toll comparable with some of the nation's bloodiest weeks since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003.
"These groups of dark terror will not succeed through these cowardly acts in dissuading Iraqis in their bid to form a government of national unity," President Jalal Talabani said in response to the attacks.
BLOOD AND DEBRIS
The Kerbala bomber detonated an explosive belt laced with ballbearings and a grenade, killing 51 and wounding 138.
Television pictures showed pools of blood in the street, which was littered with debris. Passers-by loaded the wounded into the backs of cars and vans, and one black-clad woman stood crying while clutching her dead or wounded baby to her chest.
Soon afterwards, another bomber blew himself up near a group of police and army recruits in the western city of Ramadi, in the worst single attack in Iraq since July 2005. Continued ... (http://today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=uri:2006-01-05T133747Z_01_FLE444424_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ.xml&pageNumber=1&summit=)
5 American troops killed by roadside bomb attack in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A roadside bomb exploded near a convoy of U.S. troops headed for the Shiite holy city of Karbala on Thursday, and Iraqi police said there were casualties.
Police Capt. Rahim Salho said the attack occurred about 15 miles south of Karbala, as the troops were traveling to assist with the aftermath of a suicide attack. No further details were immediately available, and U.S. officials wouldn't immediately confirm the report.
From Reuters (http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyid=2006-01-05T133747Z_01_FLE444424_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ.xml&rpc=22):
Suicide bombers kill over 110 in Iraqi cities
KERBALA, Iraq (Reuters) - Two suicide bombers killed at least 110 people and wounded more than 200 in the Iraqi cities of Kerbala and Ramadi on Thursday, the second consecutive day of concerted insurgent attacks.
Another three bombs exploded in Baghdad, two of them detonated by suicide bombers, and a roadside bomb targeted a U.S convoy near the southern Shi'ite holy city of Najaf, destroying a Humvee and killing at least two civilians.
Coming a day after 58 people died in a wave of bombings and shootings, the latest bloodshed appeared certain to ratchet up tension between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims after December's election.
Kerbala is one of Shi'ite Islam's holiest cities while Ramadi is a Sunni Arab stronghold and a hotbed of insurgency.
The bombs shattered hope that Iraq might start 2006 on a more peaceful footing.
In all, violence has killed more than 225 people and wounded more than 280 in the five days since the New Year started, a death toll comparable with some of the nation's bloodiest weeks since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003.
"These groups of dark terror will not succeed through these cowardly acts in dissuading Iraqis in their bid to form a government of national unity," President Jalal Talabani said in response to the attacks.
BLOOD AND DEBRIS
The Kerbala bomber detonated an explosive belt laced with ballbearings and a grenade, killing 51 and wounding 138.
Television pictures showed pools of blood in the street, which was littered with debris. Passers-by loaded the wounded into the backs of cars and vans, and one black-clad woman stood crying while clutching her dead or wounded baby to her chest.
Soon afterwards, another bomber blew himself up near a group of police and army recruits in the western city of Ramadi, in the worst single attack in Iraq since July 2005. Continued ... (http://today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=uri:2006-01-05T133747Z_01_FLE444424_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ.xml&pageNumber=1&summit=)