Red Cross Target of Baghdad Suicide Bombings

[Theophylact]

Suicide bombers have killed at least 34 people in a series of apparently co-ordinated attacks in central Baghdad.

The attacks, which wounded at least 224, targeted the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross and four police stations across the city on Monday.

The attack marks the first time a suicide bomber has struck the famously neutral international aid agency in its 140-year history.

Meanwhile, the lead story on the Centcom site is "Soldier Conducts Toy Drive for Iraqi Children" (as of 12:40 EST today). Who says there's no good news from Iraq?

[J-Excel]

I don't think the Centcom site is meant to be an up-to-the-minute news reporting site. The second article is from Oct 10. But that is good news about the toy drive. You should post more positive news like that, only not in an attempt to mock the good work that is being done there.

[Droppyale]

[Theophylact]

The casualty reports are up to date, though (although you have to go down to the very bottom of the page to access them).

[J-Excel]

If your point is that somehow not reporting this morning’s attacks in a timely manner serves the interest of Centcom, could you explain how? It was headline news all over the world. AFAIK Centcom is saying that these attacks are evidence that foreigners are behind some for the attacks in Iraq, which is contrary to the belief held by some that the attacks are born out of a hatred by Iraqis of an American occupation of their country. I would think it would be in their best interest to report the news of these attacks.

[Epidemic]

The failure to close the borders to Iraq are further evidence that this is planned.

collect all the nasty little terrorists around the world and use them up.

You can not blow them up in sovereign countries with out jumping through alot of hoops. But Jump through one big hoop and then let all the little evil, scumm sucking, terrorist bastards come to you.

1 to 2 years later and 10,000 to 20,000 dead anti peace, and freedom hating religious zealots (poof a better world.)

[Theophylact]

I don't know what the "evidence" is that these attacks are from "foreigners", other than the finding of a Syrian passport on one of the attackers bodies; there are lots of reasons to have false ID.

The notion that

although co-ordinated, the attacks - on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan - were "not synchronised" and "not very professional"

comforts me not at all.

And the fact that the ICRC was the target is truly disastrous:

It is widely believed that a full withdrawal of the ICRC, which has been involved in supplying hospitals with medical equipment and drugs - including the only Baghdad centre for the mentally ill, visiting those detained by the American forces and helping families trace missing relatives - would be a great loss to many ordinary Iraqis.

Workers for the Coalition Provisional Authority say they are not able to fill the void left by aid agency pull-outs.

"The aid agencies provide the people with food, medical assistance and construction efforts. If they were to leave, these things would not then be finding their way into the community. The Coalition Military is not structured or equipped to conduct the task," Tim Severino, an Australian working for the authority, told BBC News Online.

"Aid agencies leaving - like the UN did - also signifies to the terrorist that they are winning. They will then attempt to drive, one by one, every agency or organisation out. The result is the common people will suffer."

[shahani]

You can not blow them up in sovereign countries with out jumping through alot of hoops. But Jump through one big hoop and then let all the little evil, scumm sucking, terrorist bastards come to you.

Very articulate and eloquent.

Bush blowing up sovereign countries.

[MTAtech]

At some point the Bush Administration is going to have to admit that these are not "issolated incidents" conducted a few Saddam loyalists. They are carried out by a minority with the passive support of many.

[RADAR1797]

Actually MTA, it is a higher probablity that foriegner Islamists have more to play than a majority of Iraqis.

-RADAR