A suicide car bomb targeting a line of cars waiting at a Baghdad gas station killed two people and wounded 13 yesterday, while a bomb near a restaurant wounded eight people, police said.
The suicide car bomb exploded at a gas station in the Mashtal area in eastern Baghdad, killing a woman and a man and wounding 13 people, police Captain Mohammed Abdul-Ghani said.
He said US forces took three of the wounded to their nearby base because their injuries were severe. The others were taken to a local hospital.
Due to a severe fuel shortage, lines of cars at Baghdad gas stations often stretch for several kilometers, and drivers sometimes have to wait overnight to fill their cars.
Earlier in the day, a bomb exploded near a restaurant on Palestine Street, a main avenue in the east of the capital and the frequent site of explosions targeting US and Iraqi forces.
In Mahaweel, about 56km south of Baghdad, a bomb at a wedding party wounded at least seven people, police said.
Meanwhile, US authorities released more than 30 detainees. The men were taken to a central bus station in the capital, where many kissed the ground. Authorities did not give any details of what they had been detained for, or how long they had been held.
The US military reported a US soldier was killed north of the capital on Wednesday by a bomb blast while conducting a route security mission. It did not give details of the location.
Also on Wednesday, top US commander in Iraq, General George Casey, said Iraqi troops were on course to take over security control from US-led coalition forces.
"I don't have a date, but I can see over the next 12 to 18 months, the Iraqi security forces progressing to a point where they can take on the security responsibilities for the country, with very little coalition support," he said.
The US military has long maintained that any US troop drawdown would have to be preceded by Iraqi forces taking on more and more responsibility.
When asked whether the Iraqi security forces could assume full responsibility for security, allowing the coalition's forces to withdraw completely, Casey said it was too early to tell and that it would depend on the situation at the time.
"I'm not sure yet," he said of the Iraqi security capability.
"And we'll adjust that as we go. But a lot of that, in fact the future coalition presence, 12 to 18 months from now, is going to be decided by the Iraqi government," Casey said.
The general said Iraqi forces are now "75 percent" along the path of being able to operate independently of coalition forces, but said the Iraqis still need to develop support systems such as logistics, intelligence, and medical support.
US officials have lauded the results of a major security crackdown in Baghdad that they say has resulted in a dramatic fall in sectarian killings.
According to US officials, the murder rate in the capital has dropped almost 50 percent last month compared to July; that figure could not be independently confirmed.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
NO EXCUSES: Marcos said his administration was acting on voters’ demands, but an academic said the move was emotionally motivated after a poor midterm showing Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday sought the resignation of all his Cabinet secretaries, in a move seen as an attempt to reset the political agenda and assert his authority over the second half of his single six-year term. The order came after the president’s allies failed to win a majority of Senate seats contested in the 12 polls on Monday last week, leaving Marcos facing a divided political and legislative landscape that could thwart his attempts to have an ally succeed him in 2028. “He’s talking to the people, trying to salvage whatever political capital he has left. I think it’s
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
RSS