Yet Another ‘Black Day in Baghdad’
Four large bombs exploded in mainly Shia areas of Baghdad yesterday, killing nearly 200 people, making it the deadliest day since the start eight weeks ago of the US-led ’surge’ aimed at pacifying the capital, reports The Times.
“As firefighters doused blazing cars, angry relatives gathered chanting ‘Down with Maliki. Where is the security plan?’ in a reference to the Iraqi Prime Minister who has overseen the surge tactics. Iraqi and US soldiers on the scene were pelted with stones.
“In the past week, however, there have been several spectacular attacks on the capital, including a suicide bombing inside parliament and a powerful blast that wrecked a bridge across the Tigris river.
” ‘We’ve seen both inspiring progress and too much evidence that we still face many grave challenges,â€? Major-General William Caldwell, a US military spokesman, told reporters. “We’ve always said securing Baghdad would not be easy’.â€?
