Sunday, November 12, 2006
35 recruits killed
Security
A suicide bomber killed 35 people at a police recruiting center in the western neighborhood of Al-Qadissiyahon Sunday as Iraq's prime minister announced a cabinet reshuffle in an apparent response to his government's failure to rein in sectarian violence. The blast, claimed by an al Qaeda-linked Sunni militant group, also wounded 58 people when a bomber wearing an explosive vest walked into a crowd of young men lining up outside a police commando recruiting center in Baghdad. It was the bloodiest attack in months against recruits hoping to join Iraq's fledgling security forces, a key part of Washington's plan for an eventual withdrawal of its troops.
A roadside bomb along a highway east of the capital, apparently targeting a police patrol, killed four civilians and the bodies of five apparent torture victims were found dumped in various parts of eastern Baghdad. The bodies were all blindfolded with their legs bound. Police patrols were looking for gunmen who ambushed a convoy of minibuses at a fake checkpoint, killing at least nine people and kidnapping at least 10 others. The kidnapping and killing occurred on November 11 near Al-Latifiyah, south of the capital. The men murdered 10 Shia passengers before taking the rest captives to an unknown location, said the spokesman. A leading Shia politician said that local tribes had armed themselves and were headed to the area to join in the search, a step likely to set off more killings. In an address to parliament, politician Abd al-Karim al-Anzi said the kidnappers had worn Iraqi army uniforms.
