Bombings kill 31 in Baghdad

Blasts appear to target fast-breaking observers of Ramadan

By Tina Susman | Los Angeles Times

September 29, 2008

BAGHDAD - A series of explosions apparently timed to strike Muslims preparing to break the Ramadan fast killed at least 31 people in Baghdad yesterday and injured dozens.

Also yesterday, members of the country's Christian minority protested passage of a long-awaited election law last week that does not guarantee minorities seats on provincial councils.

The violence and the protests showed the tensions that still exist in Iraq despite progress on security and political reconciliation. The bombings were particularly jarring because they came shortly before or just after sunset, when during the holy month of Ramadan the markets are filled with people buying food for the evening meal that breaks their daylong fast.

"We are innocent and peaceful people. Why are they targeting markets and shoppers?" asked Hidar Abdulhussein, who suffered a broken leg in a bombing at a market in western Baghdad.

"How were they able to get in? There are so many army and police checkpoints," he added. Police and the military have set up checkpoints around most major Baghdad marketplaces.

Police reported three blasts, the one in western Baghdad and two in the Karradah neighborhood of eastern Baghdad. The death toll from the western Baghdad blast, caused by a minivan laden with explosives and parked near the market, was 11. The Karradah explosions occurred an hour and a half later, about 7 p.m. local time, and minutes apart in a popular shopping district. At least 20 people died there, and 72 were wounded.

Police said the first Karradah blast appeared to have been caused by a suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest rather than by a roadside bomb, as initially thought. Minutes after the first blast, a car bomb exploded.

The damage could have been far worse. Police said they found an explosive vest that had not been detonated amid the carnage, a sign that a second suicide bomber had been deployed but backed out before setting off an explosion.

Several witnesses interviewed in both Karradah and at the western Baghdad bomb site expressed bewilderment that such attacks could have occurred when Iraqi security forces were heavily deployed. Extra security forces are typical around Ramadan, which traditionally has seen a spike in attacks blamed on insurgents trying to stir up sectarian and political tensions.

The security force presence has been heavy this weekend because of the upcoming Eid holiday, which marks the close of Ramadan and which parliament has declared will begin tomorrow and run through Sunday. Iraqis flock to markets to stock up on Eid gifts and food for special meals in the days before the celebration.

"I'm really sorry that [in] the days before Eid, we had three car bombs" within an hour," said Firas Adil, a clothing vendor in Karradah whose shop is near the bombing site. "I find it strange that the security forces are deployed heavily and such incidents happen."

As pressure builds on the United States to withdraw its troops, more responsibility is falling on Iraqi security forces to protect crowded public places. That responsibility could grow if Iraq's government succeeds in getting an agreement from Washington that would require American troops to withdraw from Iraqi cities by June.

Under the scenario being negotiated by U.S. and Iraqi officials, American forces would move into overseer roles on bases outside of city centers, leaving Iraqi forces to handle the bulk of protecting the citizenry.

Top U.S. commanders have warned against an overly quick pullback, fearing it could open the door to a resurgence of bloodshed if Iraq forces are not prepared to take over the job.

In northern Nineveh province, thousands of Christians held protests objecting to the lack of a provision in the election law guaranteeing seats for minorities in provincial legislatures. Iraq's parliament passed the election law last week after months of bitter infighting. It calls for provincial elections to be held by Jan. 31.

Two protests took place in Nineveh: one in Qosh, about 35 miles north of the provincial capital of Mosul, and the other in Qaraqosh Nahias, about 15 miles east of Mosul.

"Our demands are to cancel this law and issue a law that would guarantee the rights of the minorities," said George Isaac, a Christian leader who organized the Qosh protest.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki added his voice to those expressing concern over the omission of minority quotas yesterday, issuing a statement that urged lawmakers to reconsider the matter for the sake of political reconciliation.