The unprecedented spate of suicide bombs tearing into Iraqi crowds this month suggests a change in tactics by the man the US military believes is behind many of the attacks, Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
Al-Zarqawi and other terrorists appear to be launching simpler, more frequent car bombings meant to upend the handover of sovereignty to an Iraqi regime by the US-led coalition, a US official said.
The relentless string of bombings -- averaging one per day this month -- have already killed at least 100 people.
PHOTO: AP
Many expect far more bombings before power is handed over on June 30.
US Army intelligence has reported to US combat units that insurgents may have rigged as many as 250 car bombs to be launched in an offensive expected to build to a fiery crescendo as the month draws to a close, said a US military officer, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Al-Zarqawi's network, which US and Iraqi officials regularly blame for suicide bombings, may be dropping its preference for complex, cataclysmic bombings in favor of frequent attacks on smaller, softer targets.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Thursday's car bomb appeared to fit that pattern. A car bomber blew apart a crowd of Iraqi military jobseekers, killing at least 35 people and wounding at least 138.
Iraq's interior minister, Falah Hassan al-Naqib, linked al-Zarqawi to the attack and accused foreigners of being behind the 20 car bombings that have shaken the country since the start of the month. He offered no new evidence.
"It may be the largest number of vehicle bombings we've ever seen in such a short period of time," said Ben Venzke, a terrorism analyst in the US.
Al-Zarqawi, 36, who some have linked to al-Qaeda, has claimed responsibility for numerous blasts over the past year, including a detonation in Baghdad on Monday that killed five foreign contractors and eight Iraqi bystanders.
Some Iraqis are fleeing the capital, saying the US occupiers and the incoming Iraqi government are unable to protect them.
"Hundreds if not thousands of Iraqis are leaving," said Ismael Zayer, editor in chief of Baghdad's Al-Sabah Al-Jedid newspaper. "They're going to the Gulf, to Jordan, Turkey, Kurdistan, to Syria even. It's much better than losing your life for nothing. No one knows what will happen even in the next few hours."
Al-Zarqawi's alleged role came to the fore in February, when US officials released a letter the Jordanian apparently wrote to the al-Qaeda leadership. The letter claimed responsibility for numerous bombings in Iraq.
Some suspect US President George W. Bush's administration overstates the Jordanian's role because his presence lends credence to his government's statements that Saddam had ties to al-Qaeda through al-Zarqawi. Many don't believe such links ever existed.
This month, there already have been six major bomb attacks. The worst previous month this year was February, with three major bombings.
The stepped-up bombings may stem from the fact that huge blasts attributed to al-Zarqawi's network have failed to derail the upcoming handover of sovereignty from the US-led coalition to an Iraqi government.
Smaller bombings are easier to coordinate, allowing terrorists to intensify the campaign of intimidation aimed at Iraqis working with the coalition, the US official said in a background briefing. Even small bombings appear to attract high levels of news coverage, splashed across television screens in Iraq and around the world, the official said.
The change in tactics could account for the spate of bombings this month, of which Thursday's blast carried the highest death toll.
Venzke cautioned against overemphasizing al-Zarqawi's role, saying other insurgent groups have probably taken to car bombings in Iraq, a country awash in old artillery shells commonly used in the blasts.
"It would seem that a good number of these attacks are being driven by al-Zarqawi or jihadi-type groups, but I'd be surprised if they are the only ones conducting car bombings in the run up to the handover," Venzke said.
Fewer bombings occurred in previous months, but some were far larger than Thursday's blast. In February, al-Zarqawi was blamed for twin suicide bombings that killed 109 people in two Kurdish party offices in Irbil. The following month, coordinated blasts at Shiite Muslim shrines in Kerbala and Baghdad killed at least 181, mainly pilgrims.
South Korea’s air force yesterday apologized for a 2021 midair collision involving two fighter jets, a day after auditors said the pilots were taking selfies and filming during the flight and held them responsible for the accident. “We sincerely apologize to the public for the concern caused by the accident that occurred in 2021,” an air force spokesman told a news conference, adding that one of the pilots involved had been suspended from flying duties, received severe disciplinary action and has since left the military. The apology followed a report released on Wednesday by the South Korean Board of Audit and Inspection,
Indonesian police have arrested 13 people after shocking images of alleged abuse against small children at a daycare center went viral, sparking outrage across the nation, officials said on Monday. Police on Friday last week raided Little Aresha, a daycare center in Yogyakarta on Java island, following a report from a former employee. CCTV footage circulating on social media showed children, most younger than two, lying on the floor wearing only diapers, their hands and feet bound with rags. The police have confirmed that the footage is authentic. Police said they also found 20 children crammed into a room just 3m by 3m. “So
About 240 Indians claiming descent from a Biblical tribe landed at Tel Aviv airport on Thursday as part of a government operation to relocate them to Israel. The newcomers passed under a balloon arch in blue and white, the colors of the Israeli flag, as dozens of well-wishers welcomed them with a traditional Jewish song. They were the first “bnei Menashe” (“sons of Manasseh”) to arrive in Israel since the government in November last year announced funding for the immigration of about 6,000 members of the community from the states of Manipur and Mizoram in northeast India. The community claims to descend from
‘TROUBLING’: The firing of Phelan, who was an adviser to a nonprofit that supported the defense of Taiwan, was another example of ‘dysfunction’ under Trump, a US senator said US Secretary of the Navy John Phelan has been fired, a US official and a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, in another wartime shakeup at the Pentagon coming just weeks after US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ousted the Army’s top general. The Pentagon announced his departure in a brief statement, saying he was leaving the administration “effective immediately,” but it did not provide a reason or say whether it was his decision to go. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Phelan was dismissed in part because he was moving too slowly to implement reforms to
RSS