Car bomb blows up inside Baghdad Green Zone, 2 dead

[leftchick]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/BAK438061.htm

BAGHDAD, Oct 4 (Reuters) - A car bomber drove into Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone complex with a convoy of other vehicles on Tuesday and blew up, killing two people and wounding four, Iraqi police said.

The vehicle entered the Green Zone, which houses the U.S. and British embassies and the Iraqi government, by an entrance frequently used by the media and others.

Police said the car exploded as it was being searched at the first checkpoint inside the zone. Those killed and wounded were believed to be members of the Iraqi army.





A US helicopter hovers as a plume of black smoke rises from the edge of the Green Zone, the heavily guarded area where foreign embassies and Iraq's parliament are based, in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, Oct. 4 2005, following an explosion. A suicide car bomb exploded at a checkpoint at the main entrance of Baghdad's Green Zone on Tuesday, killing two Iraqi policemen and wounding one, police said. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

[Frederik]

1. Inside Green Zone

...that means the Saigon Exit is not far away.

[LynnTheDem]

2. 2nd time in 7 days a car-bomber got into the Green Zone.

From the roof, baby.

[leftchick]

5. I missed the last one

when was that? And you got that right Lynn! Very soon...

[LynnTheDem]

8. I believe that was 4 days ago. They stopped the vehicle before

it detonated, but he got right into the Zone. And 4 days later, ka-BOOM.

Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick

[leftchick]

11. I found it

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/27/AR2005092700775.html

BAGHDAD, Sept. 27 -- A car bomber penetrated the heavily fortified Green Zone in the center of the capital on Tuesday but was stopped by U.S. Marines at a checkpoint before he was able to detonate the vehicle, the military said.

Tick Tock is right.

[saigon68]

9. Routed with their Tails between their Legs

Ya those who died in that clusterfuck---- died for "FREEDOM" </SARCASM>

[MADem]

14. Yeah, I was gonna mention that

They caught that guy, but you have to wonder how he got in, in the first place???

I would not go to the mess hall or to take a crap without wearing body armor, not even inside the wire....

[JNelson6563]

3. Uh-oh.

So the safe area's not so safe, eh? I guess we son't be seeing any chickenhawks visiting anytime soon.

Julie

[Oerdin]

4. It's not very fortified.

They search people and vehicles but the area is so big and so many vehicles go in and out including lots of Iraqi workers and even venders who rent stalls in a swap meet like bizarre. There are just to many people and vehicles coming and going in the green zone to make it totally secure and you'd still have the problem with mortors lobbed into the green zone. Still, the place is pretty damn secure even with the odd bombing.

My favorate cafe there got bombed last Feb. so it is clear no place can be made 100% secure.

[izzie]

6. And where was Blackwater?

I thought it went like this. Low pay US army first guards then high paid Blackwater troops next and then the endless walls to get over. I think we import cement to this country so we can export it to Iraq who has its own cement. Some type of new business the US is running.We build a new bridge in Iraq for 4 million and they can do it for 1 million. It has to be some new system that we have not got up to date on.

[MADem]

15. Up on a roof drinking beer they smuggled in, probably nt

[Barrett808]

17. Wow, so you were there?

Do you have some more interesting stories? We'd love to hear them. Starved for real, propaganda-free news, you know.

[leftchick]

7. Update: 3 Dead 6 Wounded....

BAGHDAD, Oct 4 (Reuters) - A suicide car bomber drove into Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone complex with a convoy of other vehicles on Tuesday and blew up, killing three people and wounding six, Iraqi police said.

<snip>

Those killed on Tuesday were two Iraqi soldiers and a civilian, police said. The six wounded were four Iraqi soldiers and two policemen. It was not immediately clear what sort of convoy was entering the area at the time.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/BAK439658.htm

[bemildred]

10. Next up would be the old one-two. nt

[Javaman]

12. Probing folks, probing, there is more to come. bet on it.

[PurityOfEssence]

16. Depressing, but true

Why is it that conservatives, who worship the past, don't know a damn thing about history? Yeah, it's a big place, but it's not THAT big. If insurgents put out the word that any Iraqi entering or leaving the zone will be killed (this is a technique as old as the hills when dealing with occupiers) it'll mess up the operation of the place and cause us to push our perimeter out farther. This will make us more vulnerable.

Hunkering down in some castle is an invitation to disaster. If Sadr continues having differences with the friendly folks in the Badr Brigades, that could give the Sunnis less opposition and thus a better chance to increase their control in Baghdad.

It's a huge mess, and the symbolism of taking out or really messing up the Green Zone is just too tempting.

Historically, symbolic attacks are the hallmarks of insurgencies; it's all about messing with morale.

[shrike]

13. Juan Cole predicted this

if I'm not mistaken. He also said it was a very bad sign when the first bomber managed to get past the gate.