>I do not understand why they are targeting policemen. Do they want us to stay there forever? They must not want us to leave. It sounds like they just get off on keeping the Iraqi people in fear. Their agenda needs to have us stay there so they can have their holy war. I don't really know.<


Car Bomb Kills at Least 47 in Iraq

19 minutes ago


By SAMEER N. YACOUB, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A car bomb exploded near a police station in Baghdad early Tuesday as dozens of Iraqis were applying to join the force, killing at least 47 people and wounding 114, officials said. In Baqouba, gunmen opened fire on a van carrying policemen home from work, killing 11 officers and a civilian.


The attacks were the latest attempts by insurgents to disrupt U.S.-backed efforts to build a strong Iraqi police force capable of taking over security in many towns and cities ahead of nationwide elections slated for January.

In Baghdad, the blast left a gaping 10-foot crater outside the station at the end of Haifa street, a main Baghdad thoroughfare that has been the scene recently of fierce clashes. Dozens of cars parked nearby were destroyed and shops and buildings were badly damaged.

Paramedics and residents picked up body parts scattered across the street and put them into boxes. Anguished men lifted charred bodies and lay them gently on stretchers.

Health Ministry spokesman Saad Al-Amili said at least 47 people were killed and 114 wounded.

An Interior Ministry official said on condition of anonymity that a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-packed sedan next to a cafe by the police station where many would-be recruits had gone to escape the summer heat.

Angry crowds near the site of the blast denounced U.S. forces and interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's government for failing to protect police recruiting centers.

"I blame Ayad Allawi's government for what happened because they did not take the necessary security measures," said

Ali Abul-Amir, who was among those trying to join the force but had gone around the corner to buy a drink when the explosion went off.

In the eastern city of Baqouba, gunmen in two cars opened fire Tuesday on a van carrying policemen home from work, killing 11 officers and a civilian, police and hospital officials said.

The incident occurred when the policemen were returning to their station after they were told that a trip to a training camp has been postponed, said a police officer on condition of anonymity. Eleven policemen were killed as well as the civilian driver, said Qaisar Hamid of Baqouba General Hospital.

Attacks on Iraqi security forces and police officers — consider to be collaborators by militants — have left hundreds of people dead since insurgents began a 17-month campaign to expel U.S.-led forces and destabilize Allawi's government.

Earlier this month, a suicide attacker detonated a car bomb outside a police academy in the northern city of Kirkuk as hundreds of trainees and civilians were leaving for the day, killing at least 20 people and wounding 36.

On July 28, a car bomb exploded outside a police recruiting center in Baqouba, killing at least 68 people. A month earlier, a sport utility vehicle packed with artillery shells slammed into a crowd waiting to volunteer for the Iraqi military in Baghdad, killing 35.

In February, a suicide attacker targeted another army recruiting center in Baghdad, killing 47. Days earlier 53 people were killed in a similar attack south of the capital.

Meanwhile, saboteurs blew up a junction where multiple oil pipelines cross the Tigris River in northern Iraq (news - web sites) on Tuesday, sending plumes of smoke leaping into the sky, officials said.

Firefighters struggled to put out the blaze after the attack near Beiji, 155 miles north of Baghdad. U.S. military officials surveying the blast estimated it could take up to three days to put out the fire.

Crude oil cascaded down the hillside into the river. Fire burned atop the water, fueled by the gushing oil. Beiji is the point where several oil pipelines converge, said Lt. Col. Lee Morrison of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.



Also Tuesday, the military said two American soldiers were killed and three others wounded when they came under attack Monday from an improvised explosive device and small arms fire in Baghdad.

The military said in a statement that troops belonged to the Army's Task Force Baghdad. The dead soldiers' names were withheld pending family notification.

More than 1,000 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq since the start of military operations in March 2003, according to an Associated Press tally based on Defense Department figures.

Tuesday's car bombing came a day after U.S. warplanes launched airstrikes on a suspected hideout where operatives from an al-Qaida-linked group were meeting in Fallujah, killing 20 people.

Warplanes hit the city west of Baghdad after "intelligence sources reported the presence of several (Abu Musab) al-Zarqawi operatives who have been responsible for numerous terrorist attacks against Iraqi civilians, Iraqi Security Forces and multinational forces," the U.S. military said in a statement.

The military said reports indicated the strikes had achieved their aim, but did not name the operatives. "This strike further erodes the capability of the Zarqawi network and increases safety and security throughout Iraq," the military statement said.

Also Monday, a video posted on a Web site in the name of the militants — led by Jordanian-born terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi — purportedly showed the beheading of a kidnapped Turkish truck driver. Al-Zarqawi is blamed for a string of terror attacks in Iraq, including bombings and the slayings of other hostages. Washington has a $10 million bounty on his head.

The video was digitally dated Aug. 17. The authenticity of the tape could not be verified, but it appeared on a Web site known for carrying statements from al-Zarqawi's group, Tawhid and Jihad.

On the tape, the victim identified himself as Durmus Kumdereli and said he was seized while transporting goods to an American military base. Kumdereli was reported kidnapped Aug. 14.

It's about derailing the entire process. The longer they can keep us and the powers we're trying to put in place weak and disorganized, the more control they can get in and around Iraq. Also, they're going for the soft targets. They're easy, and they do a lot of damage to people. The worst thing for the insurgents would be for the U.S. to actually be able to put a stable and strong governing/police force in Iraq. When that happens, they will no longer be able to make inroads into the country.

And as long as George W Bush is president, the chance for a strong Iraqi gov't being put in place is better than if Kerry were to be elected and committing to removing the support needed to make it happen within 4 years.

No, the destruction will probably continue as long as they think they have a cause. Its quicksand and we are going down the sinkhole.

And the cause is knowing that if John Kerry is elected, he will remove the stabilizing force (needed until it can be provided by Iraq) in short order. Then they can take Iraq off the path to a democraticaly elected system of gov't, back to a ruthless dictatoship.

[QUOTE] And the cause is knowing that if John Kerry is elected, he will remove the stabilizing force (needed until it can be provided by Iraq) in short order. Then they can take Iraq off the path to a democraticaly elected system of gov't, back to a ruthless dictatoship.[QUOTE]

You say Kerry is going to remove the stabilizing force. What stabilizing force?They aren't very stable right now. The Iraqis need to elect their own leaders and take control over their own country if that is even possible. We are trying to help them get there but the sooner we get out of there the better. And who knows what Kerry will do..he says he will try to get us out of there in his first term. The question is..what will Bush do? Is he going to keep us there indefinately? We can't sustain that. How long should the troops be denied their families?

Kerry is not doing a good job of giving a clear and consistant message.

He will not back out until the job is finished.

What does that have to do with anything. US Soilders in WW2 went years without seeing family. We have grown to soft as a country if you think that is your worry. :blink: :blink: :blink:

This isn't WWII. Yes, I guess we have become accustomed to peace and to leaders who would never start a preemptive war.

AND I GUESS WE ARE TOO SOFT BECAUSE WE DON'T LIKE TO SEE OUR TROOPS DISMEMBERED AND PEOPLE BURNED ALIVE IN THEIR HOMES IN FRONT OF THEIR CHILDREN.

WHY ARE TERRORISTS specifically targeting the Iraqi police and National Guard?

Because they realize that these internal security forces represent the gravest threat to their efforts to overthrow the nascent Iraqi government. The multi-national forces will eventually leave Iraq, but it is these brave men who will keep the nation from falling back into chaos.

The terrorists are operating primarily out of three central Iraqi towns: Fallujah, Baquoba, and Samarra. For the time being, the Iraqi National Guard is remaining away from these areas. But nationwide elections are scheduled for January, and it appears unlikely that the Iraqi government will allow the status quo to remain in place for much longer.

We can expect, then, that these havens will soon be the subject of a large-scale assault by Iraqi security forces, backed up by American armor and close air support. The terrorists will initially put up a stiff resistance, but eventually will be driven out of their “safe havens” and forced to flee or die in place.

Hopefully, most will choose the latter option.