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Explosions in sunni markets kill 40 { April 16 2008 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/04/16/MN9G1066IF.DTLhttp://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/04/16/MN9G1066IF.DTL
Explosions kill dozens in 2 cities
Attacks linked to al Qaeda in Iraq leave at least 40 dead in Baquba and 13 in Ramadi
Tina Susman, Los Angeles Times
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Family members of a victim of a car bombing mourn in fron...
(04-16) 04:00 PDT Baghdad - --
Bombs in two provincial capitals killed more than 50 Iraqi civilians Tuesday, underscoring the continuing threat posed by Sunni Muslim insurgents as they try to regain power in former strongholds.
Coinciding with military efforts to curb the strength of Shiite militias in Baghdad and southern Iraq, the new attacks also portend the potential hurdles ahead for the Iraqi government as U.S. troop levels decrease through the summer. Iraqi troops will take on more responsibility for holding on to security gains made in the past year, and the challenge will be formidable if both Sunni and Shiite extremists are active.
The latest attacks occurred in Baquba, the capital of Diyala province northeast of Baghdad, and Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province in western Iraq. Both were characteristic of al Qaeda in Iraq, which has targeted public places with suicide bombers and car bombs to inflict widespread damage and casualties. Last month, there were 60 such attacks across Iraq, according to U.S. military figures. That represented an increase from 45 in February and 43 in January, the figures show.
Attacks occur far less frequently than a year ago, before an additional 28,500 U.S. troops were sent to Iraq, but the steady increase of late appears to be a sign of the Sunni militant group's tenacity, a U.S. military official said. As long as it is able to lure foreign fighters into Iraq with promises of financial rewards, and as long as Iraq's borders remain porous, al Qaeda in Iraq will remain a threat, said the official. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was speculating on security issues.
"Their strength is they can buy the talent they need," he said. "They've got a great deal of resilience."
At least 14 suicide bombings or car bomb attacks have been carried out this month, in addition to the incidents Tuesday and a bombing Monday in the northern city of Mosul that killed 14 Iraqi soldiers.
U.S. military officials condemned the latest violence but said it should not be viewed as a sign that Sunni insurgents have regained the strength they had lost in the past year.
"This is the first suicide attack inside Baquba in almost 90 days, and the overall violence in the city has decreased by 80 percent since June," said Maj. Mike Garcia, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Diyala province. Ramadi also has seen violence plummet from an average of hundreds of attacks per day in early 2007, to about two per day now, according to the military.
But Iraqi and U.S. officials, as well as independent analysts, have warned that there is the potential for a continued uptick in violence by both Sunni and Shiite militants who aim to drive U.S. forces out of Iraq.
One high-ranking Iraqi government official predicted "a few more rude awakenings" by Shiite militias and by al Qaeda in Iraq through the summer.
"Al Qaeda command is eyeing the American elections," the official said. "Therefore, we must anticipate they will do everything in their power to mount spectacular attacks and increase the level of violence to tell Americans that Iraq is not worth it."
Tuesday's bombings targeted commercial areas guaranteed to be crowded with people.
In Baquba, a car parked along a busy downtown street exploded about 11:30 a.m., shattering store fronts, setting vehicles ablaze, and sending chunks of debris flying through the air. The targeted street is lined with government buildings, including a post office and courthouse.
Police said at least 40 people died and 70 were wounded.
In Ramadi, the attacker rode a motorcycle up to a restaurant, walked inside and blew himself up. Police said 13 people, including seven police officers eating lunch, were killed. Fifteen people were wounded and several of them were not expected to survive.
In Mosul, two bombs wounded three Iraqi police and 15 civilians, U.S. military officials said. Both blasts targeted the same spot, with the second one going off minutes after the first as people rushed to the scene to help the wounded.
At least four people died when a bomb went off in central Baghdad.
This article appeared on page A - 3 of the San Francisco Chronicle
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