Thursday, December 22, 2011

Bombs rock Baghdad, raising fears of sectarian war

Bombs rock Baghdad, raising fears of sectarian war

BAGHDAD (AP) â€" A terrifying call of bombs tore by mostly Shiite neighborhoods of Baghdad on Thursday, murdering during slightest 69 people and evoking fears that Iraq could disintegrate into a new turn of sectarian violence now that American infantry have left.

The attacks seemed to be a well-coordinated conflict by Sunni militants related to al-Qaida and targeted markets, grocery stores, cafes and supervision buildings in a dozen neighborhoods. They coincided with a government predicament that has already stretched ties between a dual sects to a violation point.

For many Iraqis, this could be a commencement of a calamity scenario: The frail fondness in a ruling bloc is collapsing, large-scale assault temperament a hallmarks of al-Qaida insurgents has returned and Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki might be relocating to squeeze a already singular energy of a minority Sunnis.

"The conditions that continue polite wars are creation a reckless comeback," pronounced Ramzy Mardini, an researcher during a Institute for a Study of War in Washington.

The bombings might be related some-more to a withdrawal of a final U.S. infantry Sunday than a domestic crisis, though all together a developments lift a ghost of a lapse to a Shiite-Sunni narrow-minded carnage that pushed Iraq to a margin of polite fight in 2006 and 2007.

Al-Maliki is intent in a showdown with a tip Sunni domestic personality in a country. His supervision has released an detain aver for Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi for what al-Hashemi says are trumped-up charges that he ran strike squads opposite supervision officials.

That has thrown Iraq's domestic village into a crisis, with Sunnis questionable that al-Maliki is creation a energy squeeze in a arise of a American troops departure.

Thrown into this already exhilarated reduction was some of a misfortune assault Iraq has seen this year.

At slightest 16 blasts went off opposite Baghdad, murdering 69 people and wounding scarcely 200 more. Most exploded in a morning though during slightest dual struck Thursday evening.

The deadliest conflict was in a Karrada neighborhood, where a self-murder bomber pushing an explosives-laden automobile blew himself adult outward a supervision office. Two troops officers during a stage pronounced a bomber was pushing an ambulance and told guards that he indispensable to get to a circuitously hospital. After a guards let him through, he gathering to a building and blew himself up, a officers said.

"I was sleeping in my bed when a blast happened," pronounced 12-year-old Hussain Abbas, station in his pajamas. "I jumped from my bed and rushed to my mom's lap. we told her we did not wish to go to propagandize today. I'm terrified."

In Washington, a White House cursed a bombings and pronounced attempts to derail swell in Iraq will fail. Press secretary Jay Carney pronounced a attacks offer no bulletin "other than murder and hatred."

Vice President Joe Biden, President Barack Obama's indicate male on Iraq, called President Jalal Talabani to plead a situation. It was Biden's second turn of phone calls to Iraqi officials this week.

Gen. Ray Odierno, a U.S. Army arch of staff, also visited Baghdad Thursday in what was described as a outing organised before a domestic predicament erupted.

It was accurately this form of assault in a early days after a U.S.-led advance that eventually spiraled into a near-civil war. Sunni militants such as al-Qaida saw Iraq as their bridgehead opposite initial a U.S. and afterwards Shiites, whom they do not cruise as loyal Muslims.

Shiite militias, dismissed adult by years of annoy over hang-up underneath Saddam Hussein's Sunni-dominated regime, afterwards fought behind in what eventually became a tit-for-tat conflict fought generally opposite Baghdad. A bombing opposite a Shiite area would be answered by residents of a Sunni neighborhood being dragged out and shot.

That's a form of greeting that analysts contend al-Qaida is perplexing to hint with assault such as Thursday's blasts. There was no evident explain of responsibility, though a bombings gimlet all a hallmarks of al-Qaida's Sunni insurgents: a brew of gummy bombs, a self-murder bomber, roadside blasts and automobile bombs.

Al-Qaida in Iraq is exceedingly feeble from a strength in a early years of a war, though still has a capability to launch concurrent and lethal assaults from time to time. U.S. troops officials disturbed about a resurgence of al-Qaida after their departure.

If Sunnis feel invested in a domestic routine and see that they have a destiny within it, analysts contend it's doubtful that al-Qaida and a ilk could benefit most traction within a wider Sunni community, generally after a bloodbath that Iraqis have already endured and are not fervent to repeat.

Many Sunnis fear a detain aver opposite al-Hashemi is partial of a wider debate to go after Sunni domestic total and seaside adult Shiite control opposite a country.

In this already moving atmosphere, Hadi Jalo, a Baghdad-based domestic analyst, pronounced Thursday's assault will expected bleed an even stronger crackdown by al-Maliki as opposite to a accommodating move.

"What is transparent now is that a conditions is deteriorating," he said. "I consider al-Maliki, who has a comprehensive energy now ... will strike back, and he will expand his crackdown opposite his domestic rivals. The conditions now will continue to fuel a narrow-minded tensions."

Coordinated campaigns such as this generally take weeks to plan, and could have been timed to coincide with a finish of a American troops participation in Iraq, presumably to undercut U.S. claims that they are withdrawal behind a fast and protected Iraq.

Iraqis have churned feelings toward a depart of a American troops that invaded scarcely 9 years ago. Their thankfulness for a ouster of Saddam is joined with annoy during a assault that eventually overcame a country.

Now, generally after Thursday's explosions, they consternation either their confidence army are adult to a charge of safeguarding a nation and either their domestic institutions will tarry intact.

"Such terrible blasts have occurred only one week after a American withdrawal, and afterwards suppose what would occur after one month or one year after a Americans leaving," pronounced Abdul Rahman Qassim, a 46-year-old counsel in a northern city of Mosul.

__

Associated Press writers Sinan Salaheddin and Mazin Yahya contributed to this report.


News referensi http://news.yahoo.com/bombs-rock-baghdad-raising-fears-sectarian-war-224917364.html

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