Bombs strapped to Down's syndrome women kill scores in Baghdad markets

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2251283,00.html

 

· Deadliest day in Iraq since start of US surge a year ago

· Mobile phones used to set off devices, say military

 

Michael Howard in Baghdad

Saturday February 2, 2008

The Guardian

 

Remote-controlled explosives were strapped to two women with Down's syndrome and detonated in coordinated attacks on two Friday morning markets in central Baghdad yesterday, killing at least 73 people and wounding nearly 150.

The first targeted shoppers at a pet market in the al-Ghazl area, killing 46 people and injuring 100. About 20 minutes later, a second bomber struck at a smaller bird market in south-eastern Baghdad, killing 27 people and wounding at least 67.

 

The toll made it one of the deadliest days since the US troop surge a year ago began to arrest the spread of violence.

 

The chief Iraqi military spokesman in Baghdad, Brigadier General Qassim al-Moussawi, claimed the female bombers had Down's syndrome and that the explosives were detonated by remote control, indicating they may not have been willing attackers in what could be a new method by suspected Sunni insurgents to subvert stepped-up security measures.

 

The US ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, said the bombings showed that al-Qaida has "found a different, deadly way" to try to destabilise Iraq.

 

US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice said the bombings in Iraq proved al-Qaida is "the most brutal and bankrupt of movements" and would strengthen Iraqi resolve to reject terrorism.

 

Police said both bombers were women who had slipped past local security checks by hiding explosives under their black abaya robes.

 

Major-General Qassim Moussawi, spokesman for the Iraqi military in Baghdad, said the suicide bombs were detonated remotely by mobile telephones. "We found the mobiles used to detonate the women," he said, adding that the women had mental disabilities. He did not elaborate on how the Iraqi military knew about their mental condition.

 

In January, the number of Iraqi civilians and security forces killed fell to 600, the lowest monthly death toll since December 2005, according to unofficial tallies. Despite the nationwide reduction in violence, senior US military officials in Iraq have repeatedly warned against complacency, saying that a number of Sunni and Shia militant groups are still bent on fomenting sectarian strife.

 

The twin blasts underlined the fragility of the recent security gains in Baghdad and are bound to damage public confidence in the ability of Iraqi security forces and neighbourhood watch groups to stop attacks on Iraqi civilians.

 

The weekly animal bazaar at al-Ghazl has been bombed several times since the US invasion in 2003. But the improved security environment in recent months has revived its popularity. Taking advantage of the lifting of the Friday curfew on vehicles, families flocked to the area.

 

Witnesses said the bomber had passed through a checkpoint, claiming she had birds to sell. "She called people to her and then there was a flash and a big force, and we were all knocked to the ground," said Kamel Hayder, a student who had gone to the market with his younger brother.

 

"When I raised myself there were bodies everywhere, and I was covered in blood, but I could not tell whether it was my own or that of the birds."

 

A pigeon vendor said the market had been unusually crowded, with people taking advantage of the day off to be outdoors on the pleasantly crisp and clear winter day. January had been unusually cold and rainy.

 

"I have been going to the pet market with my friend every Friday, selling and buying pigeons," said Ali Ahmed, who was hit by shrapnel in his legs and chest. "It was nice weather today and the market was so crowded."

 

He said he was worried about his friend, Zaki, who disappeared after the blast about 40 yards away. "I just remember the horrible scene of the bodies of dead and wounded people mixed with the blood of animals and birds, then I found myself lying in a hospital bed," he added.

 

Rescuers hauled the dead and wounded on to makeshift stretchers or the back of pick-up trucks. The wounded were taken to five hospitals. The casualties included a high number of women and children. The blast occurred close to the site of another bombing which killed 13 people on November 23. US commanders blamed that attack on an Iranian-backed Shia militant cell, which they said was trying to lay the blame on al-Qaida in order to drive the area's mostly Shia residents back into the arms of Shia militias for protection.

 

There were no claims for yesterday's attacks. US and Iraqi commanders said Sunni militant groups were stepping up efforts to recruit female suicide bombers, in part because cultural sensitivities meant the predominantly male police force was less likely to pay close attention to them at checkpoints.

 

While involving women in such deadly activity violates cultural taboos in Iraq, the US military has warned that al-Qaida is recruiting women and young people as suicide attackers to thwart stepped-up security measures. Syria also has reportedly tightened its border with Iraq, a main transit point for foreign bombers.

 

Women in Iraq often wear abayas, the black Islamic robe, and avoid thorough searches at checkpoints because men are not allowed to touch them.

That's quite sad using women who have Down's Syndrome. It's very cowardly as well of the terrorists to strap the women with bombs.

 

After this I'm hoping they will be using metal detectors that can detect any explosive device or something like that for women as well.

omg.... how LOW can these people get?.... thats utterly sick.

vile - the absolute lowest of the low.

wow.

 

 

It's unbelievable that these terrorists can see themselves as some sort of moral crusaders, when they go and perform acts like this. To be honest I don't think there is much to say apart from how utterly sickening this all is.

Words defy me, what next bombs in baby's push chairs.

Exactly, words escape me when I try to sum this up, its cowardly and beyond horrible -_-

Bombs strapped to Down's syndrome women kill scores in Baghdad markets

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2251283,00.html

 

· Deadliest day in Iraq since start of US surge a year ago

· Mobile phones used to set off devices, say military

 

Michael Howard in Baghdad

Saturday February 2, 2008

The Guardian

 

Remote-controlled explosives were strapped to two women with Down's syndrome and detonated in coordinated attacks on two Friday morning markets in central Baghdad yesterday, killing at least 73 people and wounding nearly 150.

The first targeted shoppers at a pet market in the al-Ghazl area, killing 46 people and injuring 100. About 20 minutes later, a second bomber struck at a smaller bird market in south-eastern Baghdad, killing 27 people and wounding at least 67.

 

The toll made it one of the deadliest days since the US troop surge a year ago began to arrest the spread of violence.

 

The chief Iraqi military spokesman in Baghdad, Brigadier General Qassim al-Moussawi, claimed the female bombers had Down's syndrome and that the explosives were detonated by remote control, indicating they may not have been willing attackers in what could be a new method by suspected Sunni insurgents to subvert stepped-up security measures.

 

The US ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, said the bombings showed that al-Qaida has "found a different, deadly way" to try to destabilise Iraq.

 

US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice said the bombings in Iraq proved al-Qaida is "the most brutal and bankrupt of movements" and would strengthen Iraqi resolve to reject terrorism.

 

Police said both bombers were women who had slipped past local security checks by hiding explosives under their black abaya robes.

 

Major-General Qassim Moussawi, spokesman for the Iraqi military in Baghdad, said the suicide bombs were detonated remotely by mobile telephones. "We found the mobiles used to detonate the women," he said, adding that the women had mental disabilities. He did not elaborate on how the Iraqi military knew about their mental condition.

 

In January, the number of Iraqi civilians and security forces killed fell to 600, the lowest monthly death toll since December 2005, according to unofficial tallies. Despite the nationwide reduction in violence, senior US military officials in Iraq have repeatedly warned against complacency, saying that a number of Sunni and Shia militant groups are still bent on fomenting sectarian strife.

 

The twin blasts underlined the fragility of the recent security gains in Baghdad and are bound to damage public confidence in the ability of Iraqi security forces and neighbourhood watch groups to stop attacks on Iraqi civilians.

 

The weekly animal bazaar at al-Ghazl has been bombed several times since the US invasion in 2003. But the improved security environment in recent months has revived its popularity. Taking advantage of the lifting of the Friday curfew on vehicles, families flocked to the area.

 

Witnesses said the bomber had passed through a checkpoint, claiming she had birds to sell. "She called people to her and then there was a flash and a big force, and we were all knocked to the ground," said Kamel Hayder, a student who had gone to the market with his younger brother.

 

"When I raised myself there were bodies everywhere, and I was covered in blood, but I could not tell whether it was my own or that of the birds."

 

A pigeon vendor said the market had been unusually crowded, with people taking advantage of the day off to be outdoors on the pleasantly crisp and clear winter day. January had been unusually cold and rainy.

 

"I have been going to the pet market with my friend every Friday, selling and buying pigeons," said Ali Ahmed, who was hit by shrapnel in his legs and chest. "It was nice weather today and the market was so crowded."

 

He said he was worried about his friend, Zaki, who disappeared after the blast about 40 yards away. "I just remember the horrible scene of the bodies of dead and wounded people mixed with the blood of animals and birds, then I found myself lying in a hospital bed," he added.

 

Rescuers hauled the dead and wounded on to makeshift stretchers or the back of pick-up trucks. The wounded were taken to five hospitals. The casualties included a high number of women and children. The blast occurred close to the site of another bombing which killed 13 people on November 23. US commanders blamed that attack on an Iranian-backed Shia militant cell, which they said was trying to lay the blame on al-Qaida in order to drive the area's mostly Shia residents back into the arms of Shia militias for protection.

 

There were no claims for yesterday's attacks. US and Iraqi commanders said Sunni militant groups were stepping up efforts to recruit female suicide bombers, in part because cultural sensitivities meant the predominantly male police force was less likely to pay close attention to them at checkpoints.

 

While involving women in such deadly activity violates cultural taboos in Iraq, the US military has warned that al-Qaida is recruiting women and young people as suicide attackers to thwart stepped-up security measures. Syria also has reportedly tightened its border with Iraq, a main transit point for foreign bombers.

 

Women in Iraq often wear abayas, the black Islamic robe, and avoid thorough searches at checkpoints because men are not allowed to touch them.

 

I think these emboldened passages pretty much proves the fact that a very nasty, sectarian civil war is going on in Iraq and it really IS about time we pulled out because things are just gonna get worse before they get any better.... Like it or not folks, NONE of this sh!t was going on when Saddam was in charge, he had these scumbags well under control..... <_< We've really opened Pandora's Box here and just let every nutter loose in the asylum... This article now more than ever convinces me that we should get the hell out of that country and let the chips fall where they may, as cruel as that may sound.... Iraq IS going the way of the former Yugoslavia, there is just no doubt of that fact now.....

 

I think these emboldened passages pretty much proves the fact that a very nasty, sectarian civil war is going on in Iraq and it really IS about time we pulled out because things are just gonna get worse before they get any better.... Like it or not folks, NONE of this sh!t was going on when Saddam was in charge, he had these scumbags well under control..... <_< We've really opened Pandora's Box here and just let every nutter loose in the asylum... This article now more than ever convinces me that we should get the hell out of that country and let the chips fall where they may, as cruel as that may sound.... Iraq IS going the way of the former Yugoslavia, there is just no doubt of that fact now.....

 

saddam had these thugs under control because HE was busy killing the populace..... dont paint the picture that everything was rosy under him because it wasnt.

saddam had these thugs under control because HE was busy killing the populace..... dont paint the picture that everything was rosy under him because it wasnt.

 

I'm not, but sh!t man, when did you ever hear of people with DOWNS SYNDROME being used as bloody suicide bombers ffs????? As bad as he was, he never quite sank that low....... And the facts are, we fukked that country up by creating the power vacuum that allowed these nutters to get in there and do this sort of thing....

 

I'm not, but sh!t man, when did you ever hear of people with DOWNS SYNDROME being used as bloody suicide bombers ffs????? As bad as he was, he never quite sank that low....... And the facts are, we fukked that country up by creating the power vacuum that allowed these nutters to get in there and do this sort of thing....

 

killing is killing, saddam used chemical weapons against his own people, women and children included.

we dont know what their attitude to downs people were... what these terrorists did was low, dispicable, but so was indiscriminate genocide.

 

left alone he would still be killing people, as i see it it is a 'no win' situation, with or without 'us'.

They really are evil arn't they. It's just sick.

There's no words to describe how sick this is, can these terrorists sink any lower.

killing is killing, saddam used chemical weapons against his own people, women and children included.

we dont know what their attitude to downs people were... what these terrorists did was low, dispicable, but so was indiscriminate genocide.

 

left alone he would still be killing people, as i see it it is a 'no win' situation, with or without 'us'.

 

Sorry mate, but we cannot exactly express any kind of sense of moral outrage about any of this IMO (well, perhaps those of us who oppose the actions of the US and UK can...), after all we certainly killed enough of his people in the whole "shock and awe" thing, women and children included mate, as you say, killing is killing whether it be by suicide bombers or by stealth bombers at 25,000 feet dropping daisy cutters and cluster bombs onto innnocent civilians.... Also, there is the small matter of our continued support for truly awful regimes like the one in Burma, and our support of crooked b/astards like Putin and Musharraf..... <_< Us and the Yanks really have no moral highground about any of this sh!t as far as I'm concerned, ALL of us are guilty in this mess to some degree..... And if there is truly a "God" (or equivalent universal force) we will ALL be held accountable for our actions (or inactions...).

Sorry mate, but we cannot exactly express any kind of sense of moral outrage about any of this

 

thats nonsense.

 

so we ignore the deplorable actions of terrorists?...

 

this is the second time today youve said that we can say nowt because we are complicit in the 'crime'... so... lets shut this forum down then because we are all complicit in something somewhere and therefore we arnt elegible to comment!!

There are suicide bombers everyday and its beyond old news. What makes this specific bombing horrid is the fact that they had to use mentally ill women to do their dirty work.

 

 

this is the second time today youve said that we can say nowt because we are complicit in the 'crime'...

 

Sorry if you dont like the truth mate, but it often offends or hurts.... We cant really call the actions of other's foul when we (well, not all of us truth be told, but certainly those who supported the war or voted for the Govt in 2005...) support a Govt full of war-criminals and warmongering b/astards who went around killing thousands of innocent civilians based on a lie....

 

This is just what I see as being the hypocrisy of the West, we condemn the "uncivilised savages" who carry out actions such as this, when our OWN actions are hardly any better.... The facts are, atrocities have been committed by all sides here, time to wake up to that fact....

 

 

 

Sorry if you dont like the truth mate, but it often offends or hurts.... We cant really call the actions of other's foul when we (well, not all of us truth be told, but certainly those who supported the war or voted for the Govt in 2005...) support a Govt full of war-criminals and warmongering b/astards who went around killing thousands of innocent civilians based on a lie....

 

This is just what I see as being the hypocrisy of the West, we condemn the "uncivilised savages" who carry out actions such as this, when our OWN actions are hardly any better.... The facts are, atrocities have been committed by all sides here, time to wake up to that fact....

 

im fully aware of it.... and i dont agree with that either, but it doesnt mean i cannot criticise terrorists for killing.

Sorry mate, but we cannot exactly express any kind of sense of moral outrage about any of this IMO (well, perhaps those of us who oppose the actions of the US and UK can...), after all we certainly killed enough of his people in the whole "shock and awe" thing, women and children included mate, as you say, killing is killing whether it be by suicide bombers or by stealth bombers at 25,000 feet dropping daisy cutters and cluster bombs onto innnocent civilians.... Also, there is the small matter of our continued support for truly awful regimes like the one in Burma, and our support of crooked b/astards like Putin and Musharraf..... <_< Us and the Yanks really have no moral highground about any of this sh!t as far as I'm concerned, ALL of us are guilty in this mess to some degree..... And if there is truly a "God" (or equivalent universal force) we will ALL be held accountable for our actions (or inactions...).

 

Using your logic then Winston Churchill & the British War Cabinet were guilty of war crimes for the deaths of 40,000 German civilians during the bombing of Dresden because they just so happened to be housed in the 13 square miles where the Germans had their major rail, transportation, communications and centre for over 100 factories employeeing 50,000 workers supplying output for the German war effort and the government of the USA were guilty of war crimes for the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki killing over 200,000.