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...what is proving itself more and more every day to be a victory of American arms and a vindication of American ideals.
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DAILY WAR NEWS FOR THURSDAY, August 10, 2006
A suicide bomber detonated a belt of explosives near a revered Shiite shrine in southern Iraq, killing at least 35 people and injuring 122: The bomber blew himself up while being patted down by police near the Imam Ali mosque in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, said Dr. Munthir al-Ithari, the head of the city's health directorate.
Shiite religious leaders in Najaf accused Sunni loyalists of former dictator Saddam Hussein of carrying out the attack. "We hold Takfiris (Sunni extremists) and Saddamists directly responsible for this horrible crime ... at the same time we hold those who embrace terrorism in Iraq and the countries supporting it as responsible," the statement said.
The Iraqi army said the death toll was 35, with 122 injured.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Mailiki, a Shiite, denounced the bombing as a "barbaric massacre conducted by Takfiris (Sunni extremists) and Saddamists who are seeking to inflame sectarian" passions. A statement by the collective Shiite leadership also issued a similar condemnation.
A Sunni insurgent group, Jamaat Jund al-Sahaba, or Soldiers of the Prophet's Companions, claimed responsibility for the bombing in an Internet posting. It warned Shiites to stop killing unarmed Sunnis, "otherwise wait for such operations that will shake your regions like earthquakes."
Two Iranian pilgrims were martyred and nine others wounded in an explosion Thursday morning in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf, an Iraqi health official told IRNA today.
Iran has called for foreign troops to leave Iraq following a deadly bombing near one of Shiite Islam's holiest shrines in the southern city of Najaf.
"The only way to create security in Iraq is to end the occupation by foreigners who have so far failed to bring about security," foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi was quoted as saying by the official news agency IRNA.
The bodies of the two missing servicemen from a US Blackhawk helicopter that crashed in a waterway in western Iraq have been recovered, the military said Thursday.
OTHER SECURITY INCIDENTS
Baghdad:
Four people were killed and five wounded when fighting broke out late Wednesday between gunmen and residents of a Shiite community in north Baghdad, police Lt. Salim Ali said. Sporadic clashes were continuing, he said.
Six people were killed by a bomb in a restaurant in southern Baghdad.
Seven police commandos including a senior officer were killed in a rebel ambush in Baghdad.
Five people were found murdered in Baghdad.
Baiji:
A U.S. soldier was wounded when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb near Baiji, 180 km (112 miles) north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said in a statement.
Muqdadiya:
A brother of Sunni legislator Mudhhir al-Saadoun was shot dead by gunmen in his car in Muqdadiya, 90 km (50 miles) northeast of Baghdad.
Mosul:
Gunmen killed one civilian in Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad.
Kirkuk:
Two policemen were killed and a third injured in a bomb attack targeting their vehicle south of Kirkuk.
The Multi-National Forces (MNF) said one of their soldiers was injured in a bomb attack west of Kirkuk.
Baqubah:
Four policemen were killed and seven wounded in a mortar attack and roadside bomb in Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) north Baghdad.
Hawija:
A roadside bomb aimed at a police patrol exploded in Hawija, southwest of Kirkuk, killing two policemen and critically wounding two others.
Fallujah:
A policeman was shot dead in Falluja.
Haditha:
An explosive charge detonated near a passing Iraqi army patrol on the main road west of Haditha town late Wednesday, killing ten soldiers and wounding five others, local residents told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. The blast, which destroyed a truck carrying the soldiers, was followed by a 15-minute fighting between soldiers and unknown gunmen, they said, adding more Iraqi and U.S. forces blocked the area searching for the attackers. There was no immediate U.S. and Iraqi military comment.
In country:
New Zealand Mercenary Dies In Iraq Blast: Te Ina Marokura Ngamata, 37, died when his truck transporting workers was bombed in an attack on Tuesday night.
Mr Ngamata was employed by international security firm Armourgroup, the same company that employed six Fijian security guards killed in insurgent attacks on transport convoys since April.