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=> An Assyrian suicide bomber!

An Assyrian suicide bomber!
Posted by Tiglath (Guest) davidchibo@hotmail.com - Tuesday, October 28 2003, 1:26:34 (EST)
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Website: http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2003/s976529.htm
Website title: AM - Bombing bloodshed puts Baghdad residents on edge

Bombing bloodshed puts Baghdad residents on edge

AM - Tuesday, 28 October , 2003 08:00:00
Reporter: Sally Sara

LINDA MOTTRAM: To the scenes of chaos in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, as suicide bombers staged a series of what look like coordinated attacks, leaving at least 34 people dead and more than 220 injured, one of the worst single days of violence since the fall of Saddam Hussein in April.

Iraqi police stations were targeted in what the US says is part of a bid to disrupt progress restoring a range of services, but the most shocking attack was that on the International Committee of the Red Cross, famous for its neutrality.

In Washington and in London, there is determination from those who led the Iraq invasion to stay the course.

So at the beginning of a bloodied Ramadan, security forces in Iraq are on high alert.

From Baghdad, our Correspondent, Sally Sara reports.

SALLY SARA: Baghdad was hit by a series of suicide car bombings within the space of less than an hour. It was a frightening procession of bloodshed and confusion. Residents watched from their rooftops as smoke poured from one target after another. The powerful explosions could be heard several kilometres away.

The headquarters of the International Red Cross was one of the first sites to be hit. Eyewitnesses say a white van that looked like an ambulance crashed into a security barrier and exploded.

Red Cross Spokeswoman Nada Doumani says most of the victims were Iraqis.

NADA DOUMANI: I'm angry, yes, because I can't understand who's paying the price for it. The Iraqis today, with the blast today, Iraqis have been injured and killed, and we are working for the Iraqis. And I'm angry because the Iraqis have had enough and it's time for them to have some assistance. And I'm angry also for us because I don't understand. We've never been involved in any kind of politics in any kind of… no armed security, no armed forces, because we wanted to stick to our humanitarian mission here and be seen and perceived as such.

SALLY SARA: The International Committee of the Red Cross has been operating in Iraq for more than 20 years. The security outside its headquarters was minimal. The Red Cross had received some warnings of possible attacks, but the organisation didn't consider itself a prime target. In fact, it prided itself on its neutrality. The suicide attack shattered those perceptions.

Kasim Muhammed arrived for work at a neighbouring office building when the car bomb exploded.

KASIM MUHAMMED (translated): It was a very horrified scene. The people here came out from their houses trying to see what is happening, and they saw those people who were killed and injured on the street, they tried to help them by taking them to the hospitals by their cars.

SALLY SARA: Just as bystanders were treating the casualties at the Red Cross, three police stations in other parts of the city were also hit by car bombs.

Another attack was averted when police opened fire at a bomber before he could blow himself up. Coalition officials say the man was Assyrian.

Senior US officer, Brigadier General Mark Hertling, says the bombings weren't well orchestrated.

MARK HERTLING: Sure, there was an attempt at a coordinated attack, but as you can tell from this one it was somewhat amateurish.

We have had some intelligence recently that indicated that there was going to be an attempt at a coordinated attack. If this is it, it's not all that significant.

SALLY SARA: The Coalition says it won't be intimidated by the attacks but the bombings have deepened the sense of unease and uncertainty in the capital, particularly the strike at the Red Cross headquarters.

Aid groups are assessing whether it's safe to continue their work in Iraq. Some have already reduced the number of their foreign staff.

But ironically, most of the victims of the latest violence were Iraqi civilians.

No-one has claimed responsibility for the attacks and it's unclear whether the car bombings are the start of a longer campaign of terrorism.

Iraqi and Coalition forces are on alert, and many residents are on edge as the city braces itself for further bloodshed.

This is Sally Sara in Baghdad for AM.



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