Iraq attacks on Shia and police targets kill 50

[streakinblue2]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17136646

They are at it again. When will it ever end?

23 February 2012 Last updated at 06:20 ET Share this pageEmailPrint

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Iraq attacks on Shia and police targets kill 50

Aftermath of the attacks

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At least 50 people have been killed and hundreds injured in a wave of bombings and shootings across Iraq, police say.

The violence targeted predominantly Shia areas, in particular police officers and checkpoints.

In Baghdad, nine people died in two successive blasts in the central Karrada district. Outside the capital, at least two were killed in Baquba.

No group has yet said it was behind the violence. Attacks in Iraq have risen since US troops withdrew in December.

Tolls from other attacks around Baghdad include:

six dead after a car bomb in Shia-dominated Kadhimiya, norht of Baghdad

six killed by gunmen at a police checkpoint in the Sarafiya district of the capital

two dead and five injured in an explosion in the western al-Mansour district

two killed and 10 injured in two explosions in Dorat Abo Sheer, southern Baghdad

two killed and nine wounded in an attack by gunmen using weapons with silencers, targeting a police patrol in Saidiya, southern Baghdad

seven injured, most of them policemen, in a blast in al-Madaen, south of Baghdad

five civilians injured in a bomb explosion in Taji, north of Baghdad

There were also attacks in Mosul, Kirkuk and the province of Salahuddin.

There are fears the death toll from Thursday's violence could rise.

A curfew is now in effect in Tikrit, the capital of Salahuddin province, and in Hilla, in Babil province, south of Baghdad.

Last week, at least 18 people were killed in a suicide attack near the Iraqi police academy in the capital.

Shia targets have come under increasing attack since the government of Shia Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki moved against senior members of the predominantly Sunni Iraqiya political bloc.

The day after US troops withdrew, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Vice-President Tariq al-Hashemi, who is accused of financing death squads.

Mr Hashemi, who denies the charges, is currently in Iraqi Kurdistan, under the protection of the regional government. He is the most senior Sunni politician in the Iraqi government.

The BBC's Rafid Jabbouri, in Baghdad, says Shia government officials accuse people linked to Mr Hashemi of being behind recent outbreaks of violence.

Mr Hashemi appeared on TV to deny any involvement.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq said it carried out previous waves of attacks in December and January.

[easyrider]

honestly what do you expect? people having block parties and drinking beer with one another?. There will always be bombings in Iraq, nothing new.

Edited February 23, 2012 by easyrider

[SgtFuryUSCZ]

***//

Hashemi - It sounds like his hand.

Getting even by thwarting the process he's been excised from...

I fail to understand how this violence will positively enhance his position.. what a primitive.

OR is it a cleverly executed ruse by Maliki to cast further blame on Hashemi so he looks 'cleaner'....

He HAS been squawking under the pressure placed upon him of late to shake a leg...

Feeling like he's losing the power he's grown to love...

[Luigi1]

After bombing a police recuiting station last week in Baghdad, Al Qaida claimed responsibility & boasted they are now in control of Iraq. Their only aim is to disrupt & target Shiites & igniting a shiite-Sunni civil war.

[AoK]

Par for the course it seems. If you look here in the U.S., we had 12,996 homicides in 2010. If I000 people were murdered in Iraq each mo. for the next 12 mos, it would close to equal our homicide rate stateside:

FBI Murder Rates 2010

Thanks for the post!

[Luigi1]

***//

Hashemi - It sounds like his hand.

Getting even by thwarting the process he's been excised from...

I fail to understand how this violence will positively enhance his position.. what a primitive.

OR is it a cleverly executed ruse by Maliki to cast further blame on Hashemi so he looks 'cleaner'....

He HAS been squawking under the pressure placed upon him of late to shake a leg...

Feeling like he's losing the power he's grown to love...

Al Sadr blames the USA for leaving Iraq too early before the job of securing the country was done.

[uncirculd]

***//

Hashemi - It sounds like his hand.

Getting even by thwarting the process he's been excised from...

I fail to understand how this violence will positively enhance his position.. what a primitive.

OR is it a cleverly executed ruse by Maliki to cast further blame on Hashemi so he looks 'cleaner'....

He HAS been squawking under the pressure placed upon him of late to shake a leg...

Feeling like he's losing the power he's grown to love...

Not Hashemi. Try IRAN! This is who wants Iraq to fail the most. As long as their are sanction on Iran and they can't go forward, that nut over there will do everything to keep Iraq from succeeding. That is one of the things Hashemi and Mutlag both complained about. Iran is interfering in the affairs of Iraq and Maliki is letting them. Maliki came from Iran.

After bombing a police recuiting station last week in Baghdad, Al Qaida claimed responsibility & boasted they are now in control of Iraq. Their only aim is to disrupt & target Shiites & igniting a shiite-Sunni civil war.

That is another part of the puzzle. Yep, and Iran is funding it.

Al Sadr blames the USA for leaving Iraq too early before the job of securing the country was done.

Are you kidding me? This fool is the one who says he made us leave. He is such a hypocritical, loser, terrorist. He is probably the one who did it. Look at that freak. He is always complaining and publicly saying he would hurt the troops and/or American contractors. He should have been taken out a long time ago. He's shiite but they do tactics to keep the havoc up. Although this time I believe he is not involved. And if that mo fo wanted the troops to help them, all he would have to do is ask. Coming from him, he had better "BEG". We put up with a lot of crap from this freak.

[zigmeister]

Not Hashemi. Try IRAN! This is who wants Iraq to fail the most. As long as their are sanction on Iran and they can't go forward, that nut over there will do everything to keep Iraq from succeeding. That is one of the things Hashemi and Mutlag both complained about. Iran is interfering in the affairs of Iraq and Maliki is letting them. Maliki came from Iran.

That is another part of the puzzle. Yep, and Iran is funding it.

Are you kidding me? This fool is the one who says he made us leave. He is such a hypocritical, loser, terrorist. He is probably the one who did it. Look at that freak. He is always complaining and publicly saying he would hurt the troops and/or American contractors. He should have been taken out a long time ago. He's shiite but they do tactics to keep the havoc up. Although this time I believe he is not involved. And if that mo fo wanted the troops to help them, all he would have to do is ask. Coming from him, he had better "BEG". We put up with a lot of crap from this freak.

Oh yes I remember this nut job jabbering US needs to leave Yesterday crap.

[amhvl]

The two entities that are marginalized the most by Iraq’s success, both economically and socially, is iran and al qaeda (I refuse to capilize those 2 out of disrespect). Iraq prospers + Iraq’s people prosper = poorer recruiting for al qaeda and such + less tolerance for their cause. More money means more and better paid and trained troops, better armament and technologies for both defense and fighting terrorism. The RV will be a life changer for all concerned.