Suicide bomb kills 47 at army centre

BAGHDAD – A suicide car bomb killed 47 people at an army recruitment centre in Baghdad yesterday, taking the death toll to about 100 in two attacks on Iraqis working with the US occupation forces within 24 hours.

“It was a suicide attack by a single male,” US Colonel Ralph Baker told Reuters at the scene in the capital. “It was aimed strictly at Iraqis,” he said.About 140 to 230 kg of plastic explosives mixed with artillery shells had maximised the “kill effect”, Baker added.Medical staff said hospitals had taken in 44 dead and 55 wounded, of whom at least three later died of their wounds.Some 53 people were killed on Tuesday in a similar attack on Iraqis lining up for jobs at a police station south of Baghdad.The police and new army are central to Washington’s plan to hand over power to Iraqis by June 30.Most of yesterday’s victims were newly recruited soldiers reporting for duty.The US military said the attack came at around 7:40 a.m. (0440 GMT) when a car drove into the Iraqi army facility in central Baghdad and exploded.”We were standing in line waiting to start our shift in the new army and we saw a white car drive by us and then blow up. Many died. There were about 400 people in line,” said Ghassan Samir, one of the wounded taken to Yarmouk hospital.US troops cordoned off the area known as Muthana Airport, a long-disused facility taken over by the new Iraqi army.As rain turned to warm sunshine, relatives tried to identify loved ones at the scene, peeling back bloody sheets and bodybags, covering mouths and noses as they examined each corpse.One distraught old man could not find his son, who he thought was killed in the blast.As bodies were piled into crude wooden coffins, people shouted in anger at the Americans, accusing them of carrying out the attack.”It was the Americans! The Americans! They never came to oust Saddam, they came for the oil,” one man said.The latest attacks follow a pattern of targeting Iraqis seen as collaborating with the US occupation.Twin suicide bombings in northern Iraq against two Kurdish parties allied with the United States killed more than 100 people on February 1.Tuesday’s suicide car bomb exploded among civilians lining up outside a police station in the town of Iskandariya, 40 km south of the capital, to apply for jobs.A senior official in the US-led authority said yesterday that around 620 serving members of Iraqi security forces have been killed since April 9.”If the Iraqis don’t join the police and army, that means we are saying to the Americans: ‘Stay here forever’,” said Haitham Imad, a 29-year-old army recruit who survived yesterday’s blast.Shortly after the blast, a United Nations team visiting Iraq cancelled a meeting with political parties in the capital, reporters on the scene said.No reason was given.The team, led by Lakhdar Brahimi, is discussing the possibility of holding elections ahead of the June 30 handover deadline, as demanded by leaders of the Shi’ite Muslim majority.US plans are for elections only later.Brahimi was expected to leave by tomorrow at the latest, a senior US-led administration official said.The rest of the team has started touring provinces and will head back to New York some time next week.UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is expected to make a decision on the elections on February 21.Two bomb attacks against the UN presence in Baghdad last year killed dozens, including envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello, and forced the international organisation to pull out of Iraq.”It’s impossible to defend in every location against every conceivable kind of attack at every time of the day or night,” US Defense Secretary Ronald Rumsfeld said after Tuesday’s blast.- Nampa-Reuters”It was aimed strictly at Iraqis,” he said. About 140 to 230 kg of plastic explosives mixed with artillery shells had maximised the “kill effect”, Baker added. Medical staff said hospitals had taken in 44 dead and 55 wounded, of whom at least three later died of their wounds. Some 53 people were killed on Tuesday in a similar attack on Iraqis lining up for jobs at a police station south of Baghdad. The police and new army are central to Washington’s plan to hand over power to Iraqis by June 30. Most of yesterday’s victims were newly recruited soldiers reporting for duty. The US military said the attack came at around 7:40 a.m. (0440 GMT) when a car drove into the Iraqi army facility in central Baghdad and exploded. “We were standing in line waiting to start our shift in the new army and we saw a white car drive by us and then blow up. Many died. There were about 400 people in line,” said Ghassan Samir, one of the wounded taken to Yarmouk hospital. US troops cordoned off the area known as Muthana Airport, a long-disused facility taken over by the new Iraqi army. As rain turned to warm sunshine, relatives tried to identify loved ones at the scene, peeling back bloody sheets and bodybags, covering mouths and noses as they examined each corpse. One distraught old man could not find his son, who he thought was killed in the blast. As bodies were piled into crude wooden coffins, people shouted in anger at the Americans, accusing them of carrying out the attack. “It was the Americans! The Americans! They never came to oust Saddam, they came for the oil,” one man said. The latest attacks follow a pattern of targeting Iraqis seen as collaborating with the US occupation. Twin suicide bombings in northern Iraq against two Kurdish parties allied with the United States killed more than 100 people on February 1. Tuesday’s suicide car bomb exploded among civilians lining up outside a police station in the town of Iskandariya, 40 km south of the capital, to apply for jobs. A senior official in the US-led authority said yesterday that around 620 serving members of Iraqi security forces have been killed since April 9. “If the Iraqis don’t join the police and army, that means we are saying to the Americans: ‘Stay here forever’,” said Haitham Imad, a 29-year-old army recruit who survived yesterday’s blast. Shortly after the blast, a United Nations team visiting Iraq cancelled a meeting with political parties in the capital, reporters on the scene said. No reason was given. The team, led by Lakhdar Brahimi, is discussing the possibility of holding elections ahead of the June 30 handover deadline, as demanded by leaders of the Shi’ite Muslim majority. US plans are for elections only later. Brahimi was expected to leave by tomorrow at the latest, a senior US-led administration official said. The rest of the team has started touring provinces and will head back to New York some time next week. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is expected to make a decision on the elections on February 21. Two bomb attacks against the UN presence in Baghdad last year killed dozens, including envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello, and forced the international organisation to pull out of Iraq. “It’s impossible to defend in every location against every conceivable kind of attack at every time of the day or night,” US Defense Secretary Ronald Rumsfeld said after Tuesday’s blast. – Nampa-Reuters