|
BAGHDAD: A massive truck bomb near a Shiite mosque in central
Baghdad killed 87 people and wounded 242, according to the latest
toll from security and hospital officials on Wednesday.
Tuesday’s blast was the biggest single attack
in Baghdad in two months, and came days after the completion of a
surge of US and Iraqi troops into the capital.
In the past, large bombings in Shiite
neighborhoods have prompted revenge attacks against Sunni Arabs,
raising the specter of further bloodshed in the coming days.
This comes as US and Iraqi troops intensified a
massive offensive against suspected al-Qaeda strongholds northeast
of Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 30 alleged insurgents, the
US military said.
The launch of the operation on Tuesday was
followed by a massive truck bombing at a Shiite mosque in Baghdad
that left at least 65 people dead.
Around 7,500 US troops and 2,500 Iraqi forces
poured into the provincial capital of Baquba in the largest assault
ever launched in the Diyala province, which has seen intense
fighting in recent months.
The offensive, which involves ground forces,
helicopters and heavily-armored vehicles, is the largest single
assault since US forces invaded the western city of Fallujah in
November 2004.
“These criminals will know no safe place to
hide in Diyala,” said Brigadier General Mick Bednarek.
“The people of Diyala are tired of the terror
and violence these al-Qaeda thugs have brought to their province and
are cooperating with us in order to root them out.”
In addition to killing 30 suspected al-Qaeda
militants, US and Iraqi forces uncovered several weapons caches,
including four homemade bombs in homes and another 10 bombs buried
underground, the US military said.
Two suspected militants were killed while
planting roadside bombs in a village outside of Diyala, the
statement added.
Iraqi army and police forces are also
participating in the assault.
“Our forces killed 11 terrorists and arrested
12 in Baquba. We also confiscated weapons and equipment, including
swords used for cutting off people’s heads,” Army Colonel Najib
al-Salahi told AFP on Tuesday.
“This operation is just beginning and we will
continue to strike al-Qaeda no matter where they hide and we won’t
rest until the job is done,” said Bednarek.
As US and Iraqi reinforcements have surged into
Baghdad in recent months insurgents have retreated to areas around
the capital, particularly Diyala province, where the US military has
not until recently had a large presence.
--AFP
|
