">Forum Views ()
">Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Suicide truck bomb kills 50 in northern Iraq
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
Yahoo! Search
Search:
Sign InNew User? Sign Up
News Home -
Help
Navigation
Primary Navigation
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular
Secondary Navigation
Africa
Europe
Latin America
Middle East
North America
Search
Search:
Suicide truck bomb kills 50 in northern Iraq
Reuters - Sunday, June 21
By Khalid al-Ansary
ADVERTISEMENT
BAGHDAD - A suicide truck bomb killed 50 people leaving a mosque on Saturday, hours after Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki urged Iraqis not to lose faith if a U.S. military pullback resulted in more insurgent attacks.
Almost all U.S. soldiers will leave urban centres by June 30 under a bilateral security pact signed last year, and the whole force that invaded the country in 2003 must be gone by 2012.
"Don't lose heart if a breach of security occurs here or there," Maliki told leaders from the ethnic Turkmen community, reiterating a warning that insurgents were likely to try to take advantage of the U.S. pullback to launch more attacks.
Analysts warn there may also be a spike in violence by mainly Sunni Islamist insurgents, including al Qaeda, and other violent groups ahead of a parliamentary election next January.
Hours after Maliki spoke, a suicide bomber detonated a truck filled with explosives as crowds of worshippers left a Shi'ite Muslim mosque near Kirkuk, a northern city contested by Arabs, Turkmen and Kurds that sits over vast oil reserves.
Fifty people died, including women and children, and 167 civilians were wounded as dozens of clay homes in the area were flattened. Many people were feared trapped under the wreckage.
"I was sitting in my house when suddenly a powerful blast shook the ground under me," said Hussain Nashaat, 35, his head wrapped in white bandages. "I found myself covered in blood and ran outside in a daze. My lovely neighbourhood was just rubble."
There was chaos at Kirkuk's main Azadi Hospital, where ambulance sirens wailed as workers rushed blood-splattered civilians, including several children, into the wards.
Outside, security officials brandished assault rifles to stop traffic as pick-up trucks raced through the gates carrying more victims of the blast at the al-Rasul Mosque.
AL-QAEDA "USING NEW TACTICS"
Such attacks, including a string of devastating bomb blasts in April, cast doubt on the ability of Iraqi security forces to take over after U.S. troops leave. The bloodshed fell sharply in May, and June has also seen fewer large-scale attacks.
It is not clear if that is due to the efforts of Iraqi police and soldiers, or if it means that insurgent groups, beaten back over the past two years in most of Iraq, now lack the organisation and support to keep up the momentum.
Interior Ministry spokesman Major General Abdul-Karim Khalaf said al-Qaeda was resorting to paying people to fight for it, as well as recruiting some Shi'ites drawn by the cash. He said it had also turned to criminal activities to raise funds.
"Instead of recruiting people through faith or ideology, as it was in the past, now they are paying money to recruit people," Khalaf told reporters.
The sectarian bloodshed and insurgency unleashed by the invasion peaked in 2006/07, but ethnically mixed cities such as Mosul and Baquba remain dangerous. A suicide car bomber killed four policemen near Falluja in western Anbar province, once the heartland of the insurgency, on Saturday.
Baghdad has also continued to see a steady stream of bombings and shootings, and Kirkuk is viewed as a potential flashpoint for a broader conflict between Arabs and Kurds.
On Saturday, the U.S. military handed Iraqi forces control of a base in the capital's sprawling Sadr City slum, a hotbed of support for fiery anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and a major former battleground for U.S. forces.
From there rockets and mortar shells often rained on the fortified Green Zone, where U.S. and Iraqi officials are based.
"The land we stand on today has been bought at a very high price," said U.S. Major General Daniel Bolger. "Fighting here was fierce and deadly. Thank God the worst of that has passed."
Email Story
IM Story
Printable View
Blog This
Sign in to recommend this article »
0 users recommend
Related Articles: World
Schwarzenegger in mid-air jet dramaAFP - Saturday, June 20
Today in History - June 20AP - Saturday, June 20
Iran protestors clash with police defying ultimatumAFP - Sunday, June 21
Haitian TV airs footage of confrontation with UNAP - Saturday, June 20
'Cash for clunkers' may jumpstart US auto salesAFP - Saturday, June 20
Most Popular – World
Viewed
Schwarzenegger in mid-air jet drama
Chubby people live longest: Japan study
Botox helps Australian stroke victim to walk again
Clones of 9/11 hero dog unveiled in Los Angeles
F1 governing body 'not surprised' at sport's split
View Complete List »
Search:
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular
Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy
- Terms of Service
- Community
- Intellectual Property Rights Policy
- Help
Other News on Sunday, 21 June 2009 Suicide truck bomb kills 50 in northern Iraq
Tsvangirai shouted down by Zimbabwean exiles in London
Apple CEO received liver transplant: report
German bank opposes massive loan to Porsche: minister
Fierce Tehran clashes between police, protesters
Suicide truck bomber kills 67 in northern Iraq
| International
|
Iraq truck bomb kills 46 near Kirkuk
Singapore says would act if North Korea ship has WMD
| International
|
Lawsuit brings murky West Bank land deals to light
Excerpts from address by Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei
Zimbabwe's Tsvangirai booed for come home plea
| International
|
Foreign soldiers among dozens killed in Afghanistan
Malawi authorities seize ex-president's passport
| International
|
Abbas talks Palestinian unity with Syria's Assad
THE INFLUENCE GAME: Excuse me! Lobby wins on burps
Taliban gains money, al-Qaida finances recovering
AP NewsAlert
Heroes' welcome for NKorean football team
Steve Jobs received liver transplant: report
| Technology
|
Obama asks men to be better fathers than their own
Heroes' welcome for NKorean soccer team
American Journalist Held Captive By Taliban For 7 Months Safely Escapes
WSJ: Apple CEO Steve Jobs had liver transplant
Pakistan says it's wrapping up Swat campaign
Red panda at ND zoo has rare set of triplets
Two Marines Charged In The Murder Of An Army Nurse
Schwarzenegger's Plane Makes Emergency Landing
Sri Lanka arrests 2 local UN staffers
Thousands remain without power following storms
THE INFLUENCE GAME: Excuse me! Lobby wins on burps
Fighter jets hit militants in Pakistan's Waziristan
Sotomayor Quits Women-Only Club
iPhone 3GS Hits Stores In U.S., 7 Countries
At Least One Dead, Several Injured In Illinois Train Derailment
US, regional powers may meet on NKorea next month
Moderate quake shakes central California
U.S. Customs, Agriculture Agencies Find New Pest In Guatemala Pineapple Shipment
Analysis: Obama offers split verdict on economy
U.S. Robot Sub Dives Into Ocean's Deepest Spot
Mistakes by US force 'likely' caused Afghan deaths
Louisiana Lawmen Seek Escaped Murder Suspect
Pot Goes Up In Smoke, Turns Into Energy In Florida Incinerator
Michelin may open India factory in 3 years: CEO
Sandra Bullock finally has top film at box office
| Entertainment
|
Hollywood studio Paramount axes top executives
| Entertainment
|
Novelist Kaye Gibbons faces yet another hurdle
FBI tried in vain to stop "Deep Throat" film
Madonna's adopted daughter said to leave Malawi
Variable iTunes pricing a moneymaker for artists
Britain's Brown determined to stay on
British hostages' families 'clinging to hope'
Iran's Mousavi calls for purge of lies
| International
|
Ecuador threatens to expell oil firms
Streaming music service Spotify basks in praise
Singapore says would act if North Korea ship has WMD
| International
|
Brazil takes radar plane off Air France jet search
Truck bomb kills more than 70 in northern Iraq
Dalai Lama says favors democratic leadership
| International
|
Thousands march in Spain to condemn killing blamed on ETA
Top cleric may be playing role in Iran unrest
Attack on key U.S. Afghan base kills two soldiers
| International
|
Japan eyes bigger military as tension rises: report
| International
|
Suicide truck bomber kills 67 in northern Iraq
China police rescue trafficked children
| International
|
Iraq truck bomb kills 64
Foreign soldiers among dozens killed in Afghanistan: officials
Australia PM challenges opposition over allegation
| International
|
Mousavi ready for "martyrdom"
Two British hostages feared dead in Iraq
| International
|
Nigeria militants say attack two Shell oil pipelines
| International
|
Gunfire, euphoria: week that shook Iran
New York Times reporter escapes Taliban captivity
Variable iTunes pricing a moneymaker for artists
| Technology
|
Cambodia in war of words with Thailand over border
Fed to stamp out idea of early rate hike: analysts
Croatia needs Chinese investments, Hu Jintao told
New net timer could save sea turtles from drowning
Japan's Yano makes move for breakthrough Asian major win
Obama may need firmer hand on health care debate
City in central China rocked by violent riots: residents
Streaming music service Spotify basks in praise
| Technology
|
Unseen Dali drawings to be shown in Buffalo
Senior spelling title goes to Virginia man
Northwestern honors journalist freed from Iran
Pa. borough raises orange flag for street crossers
Obama praises drug deal, declares 'turning point'
Edison Chen not ready for lead roles after scandal
Miley Cyrus fights scalpers with paperless tickets
After 50 years, Motown endures in ailing Detroit
Miley Cyrus fights scalpers with paperless tickets
| Entertainment
|
Crisis won't stop Latvia's midsummer night party
"Idol" champ Sparks ready for "battle"
Idol champ Sparks ready for battle
| Entertainment
|
Barbecues and baking: relief of Vietnam's Net addicts
Madonna's star power in Malawi
FBI tried in vain to stop 'Deep Throat' film
Spain launches 'Spanish language day' worldwide
Sandra Bullock finally has top film at box office
Israeli president applauds Iran street protesters
Death toll from Iraq's Kirkuk blast rises to 73
| International
|
Xstrata 'in merger approach to Anglo American'
British parliament to select new Speaker
Pakistani aircraft hit militants near Afghan border
| International
|
Iraq bodies are British hostages: government sources
Israel's Barak sees chance for peace progress
| International
|
Israel's Barak sees chance for peace progress
Iraqis happy at U.S. pull out, but fear more attacks
Barak says Israel must be respected as Jewish state
Islamists vow to fight any foreign troops in Somalia
| International
|
Two NATO soldiers killed in attack on Afghan base
Iran death toll mounts as leaders take aim at West
Yemeni who killed Jew gets death sentence
| International
|
NKorea criticizes US nuclear protection of South
Thousands donate hair to fix Myanmar pagoda road
NY senator has little time to prep for 2010 race
Factory blast kills 16 workers in eastern China
Report: Sri Lanka may extend president's term
Japan whaling town gets season's first catch
New Zealand expects big rise in swine flu cases
Infant Killed When Someone Rolled On Top Of Her
Rockets hit US base in Afghanistan, 2 troops dead
Myanmar jails Suu Kyi supporters for pagoda prayer
Thousands Of Concert-Goers Stranded In Michigan
One Dead, Five Hospitalized After Ammonia Leak At Poultry Plant
Indonesian fugitive businessman arrested for graft
4 hurt in winds as tropical storm nears Taiwan
New Poll Finds 72% Of Americans
Apple's Jobs Had Liver Transplant
House Impeaches Federal Judge
Body Of American Boy Found In Switzerland
Airbus to deliver first China-made airplane
Japan's key Tankan survey to post big leap
Philippines' Arroyo backs Asian IMF: report
S.Korea exports fall 13.3 pct in 1st 20 days of June
China-driven commodities rally nearing end
South Korea May start-up/failure ratio at 2-yr high
Yeoh says she'll star in John Woo kung fu movie
McGregor: 'Angels' no challenge to Catholic faith
Director: No wide China release for 'The Reader'
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights