Bombs kill 59 as Iraqis talk unity
Source: Agencies |
March 28, 2010, Sunday
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THE death toll from two bombs that struck a crowded market in Iraq's mainly Sunni Diyala Province rose to 59, police said yesterday, as politicians started coalition talks to form a new government.
The attack on Friday night, one of Iraq's deadliest in months, also wounded 73 people, said Major Ghalib Attiya, a Diyala police spokesman.
"From the style of the attack and its magnitude, I can say it has al-Qaida's fingerprint," he said, adding that an investigation was under way to determine if the militant group was responsible.
The blasts occurred a few hours before officials released full preliminary results from the March 7 parliamentary poll.
Authorities said a roadside bomb was placed near a coffee shop in the center of the town of Khalis, 80 kilometers north of Baghdad, followed soon after by a car bomb that shattered nearby buildings and shops.
"There are still bodies under the rubble, I want to know what is the fault of these innocent people to be killed like that?" shop owner Yunnis Mohammed said at the scene.
Rescue workers were still searching for survivors yesterday.
While overall violence has dropped sharply in the past couple of years, the blast on Friday, a night out for many families, underscored the fragile security situation as Iraq struggles to end years of war and sectarian conflict.
Iraq's political blocs have begun what could be weeks of jostling for a place in the new government.
The results of this month's election saw secularist challenger Iyad Allawi's alliance winning the most seats in the coming parliament, just ahead of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's coalition.
Former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi reached out to his rivals to form a governing coalition yesterday, staking his claim as the top vote-getter in Iraq's elections and saying he hoped to build strong relations with neighboring countries.
Allawi's secular Iraqiya bloc edged out chief rival Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki by just two seats in the March 7 vote for a 325-member parliament.
The razor-thin victory meant Allawi's road to regaining the premiership is anything but guaranteed, and a lengthy period of political negotiations lies ahead.
Regardless of the outcome, the final results released Friday were a turning point and served as a rejection of the domination of Shiite religious parties as has been the case since the 2003 US-led invasion.
In many ways it also was a referendum against the sectarian politics that had pushed the country to the brink of civil war.
The attack on Friday night, one of Iraq's deadliest in months, also wounded 73 people, said Major Ghalib Attiya, a Diyala police spokesman.
"From the style of the attack and its magnitude, I can say it has al-Qaida's fingerprint," he said, adding that an investigation was under way to determine if the militant group was responsible.
The blasts occurred a few hours before officials released full preliminary results from the March 7 parliamentary poll.
Authorities said a roadside bomb was placed near a coffee shop in the center of the town of Khalis, 80 kilometers north of Baghdad, followed soon after by a car bomb that shattered nearby buildings and shops.
"There are still bodies under the rubble, I want to know what is the fault of these innocent people to be killed like that?" shop owner Yunnis Mohammed said at the scene.
Rescue workers were still searching for survivors yesterday.
While overall violence has dropped sharply in the past couple of years, the blast on Friday, a night out for many families, underscored the fragile security situation as Iraq struggles to end years of war and sectarian conflict.
Iraq's political blocs have begun what could be weeks of jostling for a place in the new government.
The results of this month's election saw secularist challenger Iyad Allawi's alliance winning the most seats in the coming parliament, just ahead of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's coalition.
Former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi reached out to his rivals to form a governing coalition yesterday, staking his claim as the top vote-getter in Iraq's elections and saying he hoped to build strong relations with neighboring countries.
Allawi's secular Iraqiya bloc edged out chief rival Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki by just two seats in the March 7 vote for a 325-member parliament.
The razor-thin victory meant Allawi's road to regaining the premiership is anything but guaranteed, and a lengthy period of political negotiations lies ahead.
Regardless of the outcome, the final results released Friday were a turning point and served as a rejection of the domination of Shiite religious parties as has been the case since the 2003 US-led invasion.
In many ways it also was a referendum against the sectarian politics that had pushed the country to the brink of civil war.
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