THE WORLD
Suicide Attacks Rising Rapidly
Increasingly, the bombers are Iraqis instead of foreign infiltrators. Civilians and police, not GIs, are the prime targets.
By Carol J. Williams, Times Staff Writer
BAGHDAD — Suicide bombings have surged to become the Iraqi insurgency's weapon of choice, with a staggering 90 attacks accounting for most of last month's 750 deaths at the militants' hands.Suicide attacks outpaced car bombings almost 2-to-1 in May, according to figures compiled by the U.S. military, The Times and other media outlets. In April, there were 69 suicide attacks, more than in the entire year preceding the June 28, 2004, hand-over of sovereignty.
The frequency of suicide bombings here is unprecedented, exceeding that of Palestinian attacks against Israel and of other militant insurgencies, such as the Chechen rebellion in Russia.
Baghdad saw five suicide bombings in a six-hour span Sunday. Early today, three suicide bombers killed at least 16 Iraqis in blasts north of Baghdad.
The first, around 8 a.m., ripped through a restaurant in Tuz Khurmatu where the Kurdish deputy prime minister, Rosh Shawais, was having breakfast.
He was unharmed but a bodyguard was among the nine killed.In Baqubah, another blast killed the deputy head of the Diyala province governing council, Hussein Alwan Timimi, and four others.
In Kirkuk, a bomber plowed his car into a U.S. consulate convoy.Two Iraqis died and 12 were hurt, a witness said.
With U.S.-led forces now better protected with concrete blast walls and rings of concertina wire and sandbags, militants have taken to targeting Iraqi police and civilians in their bid to convince Iraqis that their new leaders can't protect them.
And increasingly, Iraqis are believed to be carrying out some of the suicide attacks.U.S. officials and Iraqi analysts say the insurgents' resources are increasing on several fronts: money to buy vehicles and explosives, expertise in wiring car and human bombs and intelligence leaks that help them target U.S. and Iraqi forces. >>>>continued
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/la-fg-bombers2jun02,0,4779899.story?coll=la-home-headlines
Suicide Attacks Rising Rapidly
Increasingly, the bombers are Iraqis instead of foreign infiltrators. Civilians and police, not GIs, are the prime targets.
By Carol J. Williams, Times Staff Writer
BAGHDAD — Suicide bombings have surged to become the Iraqi insurgency's weapon of choice, with a staggering 90 attacks accounting for most of last month's 750 deaths at the militants' hands.Suicide attacks outpaced car bombings almost 2-to-1 in May, according to figures compiled by the U.S. military, The Times and other media outlets. In April, there were 69 suicide attacks, more than in the entire year preceding the June 28, 2004, hand-over of sovereignty.
The frequency of suicide bombings here is unprecedented, exceeding that of Palestinian attacks against Israel and of other militant insurgencies, such as the Chechen rebellion in Russia.
Baghdad saw five suicide bombings in a six-hour span Sunday. Early today, three suicide bombers killed at least 16 Iraqis in blasts north of Baghdad.
The first, around 8 a.m., ripped through a restaurant in Tuz Khurmatu where the Kurdish deputy prime minister, Rosh Shawais, was having breakfast.
He was unharmed but a bodyguard was among the nine killed.In Baqubah, another blast killed the deputy head of the Diyala province governing council, Hussein Alwan Timimi, and four others.
In Kirkuk, a bomber plowed his car into a U.S. consulate convoy.Two Iraqis died and 12 were hurt, a witness said.
With U.S.-led forces now better protected with concrete blast walls and rings of concertina wire and sandbags, militants have taken to targeting Iraqi police and civilians in their bid to convince Iraqis that their new leaders can't protect them.
And increasingly, Iraqis are believed to be carrying out some of the suicide attacks.U.S. officials and Iraqi analysts say the insurgents' resources are increasing on several fronts: money to buy vehicles and explosives, expertise in wiring car and human bombs and intelligence leaks that help them target U.S. and Iraqi forces. >>>>continued
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/la-fg-bombers2jun02,0,4779899.story?coll=la-home-headlines
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 2:53 PM
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