Van Helsing
My glass is half empty.
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2004
- Messages
- 1,390
The death toll from Thursday's wave of attacks in Iraq rose to 92, officials said, as a Web site said a group linked to al Qaeda associate Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was responsible.
Wounded in the series of bombings and ambushes -- which struck Mosul, Ba'qubah, Ramadi, Baghdad and Fallujah -- numbered 285, according to Iraqi police and health officials.
The violence comes six days ahead of the scheduled handover of power.
The military wing of the Unity and Jihad, the group linked to al-Zarqawi, issued a statement on a Web site claiming responsibility for the attacks.
Insurgents staged the operation six days before the June 30 transfer of power, and their efforts reflect an increase in violence predicted by the United States to accompany the days approaching handover.
Of the 92 dead, 65 were killed in the northern city of Mosul; nine were killed in Al Anbar province, which included Ramadi and Fallujah; and 13 died in Diyala region, which includes Ba'qubah.
Hospital and coalition officials say the northern city of Mosul has been virtually paralyzed. This is where the vast majority of the killings happened.
The assault on Mosul began shortly after 9 a.m. when three simultaneous car bombs hit separate targets.
In Ba'qubah, insurgents also attacked a police station in the city, and a gunbattle ensued. Armed insurgents freely roamed parts of the city, a local politician said.
U.S. forces responded with airstrikes on insurgent positions in the city north of the Iraqi capital, according to military officials with the 1st Infantry Division.
In Ramadi, a coalition military official said bodies were being pulled out of the rubble.
At a Baghdad checkpoint, a suicide bomber detonated himself in a southern section of Baghdad called Abu Dasheer. And in Fallujah, U.S. forces battled insurgents and military officials, reporters said. According to journalists, American forces faced fierce resistance as they tried to enter a eastern industrial section of the city around 8 a.m. (12 a.m. EDT).
The 1st Marine Expeditionary Force said its actions in Fallujah were "strictly defensive in nature." The United States has attacked militant "safe house" targets in Fallujah twice this week, killing about 38 people.
U.S. warplanes and helicopters were taking part in the operation. A U.S. Cobra helicopter made an emergency landing outside of the city after coming under small arms fire, a senior coalition military official said.
The aircrew was recovered in good condition.
So Sad -
Wounded in the series of bombings and ambushes -- which struck Mosul, Ba'qubah, Ramadi, Baghdad and Fallujah -- numbered 285, according to Iraqi police and health officials.
The violence comes six days ahead of the scheduled handover of power.
The military wing of the Unity and Jihad, the group linked to al-Zarqawi, issued a statement on a Web site claiming responsibility for the attacks.
Insurgents staged the operation six days before the June 30 transfer of power, and their efforts reflect an increase in violence predicted by the United States to accompany the days approaching handover.
Of the 92 dead, 65 were killed in the northern city of Mosul; nine were killed in Al Anbar province, which included Ramadi and Fallujah; and 13 died in Diyala region, which includes Ba'qubah.
Hospital and coalition officials say the northern city of Mosul has been virtually paralyzed. This is where the vast majority of the killings happened.
The assault on Mosul began shortly after 9 a.m. when three simultaneous car bombs hit separate targets.
In Ba'qubah, insurgents also attacked a police station in the city, and a gunbattle ensued. Armed insurgents freely roamed parts of the city, a local politician said.
U.S. forces responded with airstrikes on insurgent positions in the city north of the Iraqi capital, according to military officials with the 1st Infantry Division.
In Ramadi, a coalition military official said bodies were being pulled out of the rubble.
At a Baghdad checkpoint, a suicide bomber detonated himself in a southern section of Baghdad called Abu Dasheer. And in Fallujah, U.S. forces battled insurgents and military officials, reporters said. According to journalists, American forces faced fierce resistance as they tried to enter a eastern industrial section of the city around 8 a.m. (12 a.m. EDT).
The 1st Marine Expeditionary Force said its actions in Fallujah were "strictly defensive in nature." The United States has attacked militant "safe house" targets in Fallujah twice this week, killing about 38 people.
U.S. warplanes and helicopters were taking part in the operation. A U.S. Cobra helicopter made an emergency landing outside of the city after coming under small arms fire, a senior coalition military official said.
The aircrew was recovered in good condition.
So Sad -
