Whoa! This is an incredibly horrific suicide bombing that happened this morning in Tikrit, Iraq where 42 police recruits were killed outside of a recruiting center and more than 100 were injured - obviously, al Qaeda in Iraq is being blamed for the attack. But what is amazing here is this was NOT a car bombing, this was a suicide bomber with a suicide bomb belt who somehow managed to kill such a high number of 42. This guy must have been literally wedged into the middle of the crowd.
From the report at DAWN:
A suicide bomber wearing a vest filled with explosives attacked Iraqi police recruits on Tuesday in former dictator Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit, killing at least 42 and wounding over 100, officials said.
Ahmed Abdul-Jabbar, deputy governor of Salahuddin province, said the attack took place outside a police recruiting centre where Iraqi men were lining up with their documents, hoping to get a job.
“Who else would it be but al Qaeda, who keep on slaughtering us,” said Abdul-Jabbar. “They are the terrorists.”
A police source in the city, 150 km north of Baghdad, said the main hospital was overwhelmed. Mosques broadcast appeals for residents to donate blood.
“The hospital theatre now is full of dead and wounded young people. Ambulances are still evacuating casualties,” the police source said at the hospital, asking not to be identified.
A police spokesman said more than 300 people were standing in line at the time of the attack.
We always see this with al Qaeda attacks - the targeting of police headquarters or recruiting stations and new recruits are a favorite target. The al Qaeda strategy is simple - first off, these 42 dead are no longer a threat to become police officers, the 100 wounded will more than likely never follow through on their plans for becoming officers and the family members, friends and acquaintances of all those killed or wounded won't be signing up soon. With this one bomb blast, al Qaeda in Iraq has probably kept upwards of 500 Iraqi men from joining the local police force.
And it seems that just about the time we think Iraq is going to settle down a little bit, we have another one of these major bombings or attacks - although, I have been encouraged to some extent that al Qaeda in Iraq hasn't appeared to have become more organized with more and more American troops either withdrawn or moved out of the more populous areas.
Suicide blast kills 42 police recruits in Iraq
TIKRIT: A suicide bomber wearing a vest filled with explosives attacked Iraqi police recruits on Tuesday in former dictator Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit, killing at least 42 and wounding over 100, officials said.
Ahmed Abdul-Jabbar, deputy governor of Salahuddin province, said the attack took place outside a police recruiting centre where Iraqi men were lining up with their documents, hoping to get a job.
“Who else would it be but al Qaeda, who keep on slaughtering us,” said Abdul-Jabbar. “They are the terrorists.”
A police source in the city, 150 km north of Baghdad, said the main hospital was overwhelmed. Mosques broadcast appeals for residents to donate blood.
“The hospital theatre now is full of dead and wounded young people. Ambulances are still evacuating casualties,” the police source said at the hospital, asking not to be identified.
A police spokesman said more than 300 people were standing in line at the time of the attack.
“There were many killed and wounded. The place was full of dead and wounded guys,” he said.
Overall violence in Iraq has fallen sharply since the peak in 2006/07 of the sectarian slaughter triggered after the 2003 US-led invasion. But shootings and bombings remain a daily occurrence.
Salahuddin province, home to Saddam’s family, continues to suffer frequent attacks by suspected Sunni insurgents opposed to the Shia-led authorities in Baghdad. Tikrit is primarily Sunni.
Insurgents have stepped up their assaults on Iraqi police and troops since US forces formally ended combat operations last August ahead of a full withdrawal this year.
A Salahuddin provincial council worker, Muhanad Abdulrahman, said he rushed out to a balcony when he heard there had been a bomb in the city centre.
“I saw a police pick-up truck rush by piled high with wounded people,” he said.
“Blood was dripping down the sides of the vehicle and the people in the back were covered in blood.”
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