Bomb Kills Three Iraqis; Toll Pressure on Rumsfeld (Bomb in SOUTHERN Iraq)

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=797897&tw=wn_wire_story

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - A bomb planted on a street in the southern city of Basra tore apart a minibus Tuesday, killing at least three Iraqis and scattering body parts across the road in the latest deadly guerrilla attack in Iraq.

Iraqi police said no British soldiers, who are in charge of security in Basra, were in the area at the time of the blast near a police checkpoint in the mainly Shi'ite city.

Southern Iraq has seen fewer attacks on occupying troops than Baghdad and the surrounding Sunni Muslim heartland. At least 153 U.S. and 12 British soldiers have been killed in action since Washington declared major combat over on May 1.

The United States has been pushing for other countries to send troops to help secure Iraq, and is also trying to give more responsibility for security to Iraqi police and troops.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Monday that Washington was not looking for an exit strategy, and that his top commanders had assured him the insurgency was under control.
<snip>

Southern Iraq has been constanty shown as the "stable" Iraq with inference that only the Sunni Triangle having any real problems. Right, Rummy. Everything under control.

[katusha]

1. looks like were on the road

to an iraqi civil war by.. oh i'd say around march or so.

[OneBlueSky]

2. not to worry . . . they were Iraqis . . .

and Iraqis don't count . . . just ask the Pentagon (who make it a point of not counting dead Iraqis) . . . or the media (who make it a point of not reporting on dead Iraqis) . . . so all is well in never never land . . .

[leftchick]

3. 2 killed were policemen, 9 wounded including children

yep, the shit is hitting the fan all over Iraq....

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/E7151B91-0982-4CA1-8BA7-147B6CE2CC0B.htm


<snip>Two policemen are among the four Iraqis who died in a bomb explosion in the centre of the southern Iraqi city of Basra.

Nine people, including schoolchildren, were hurt in the explosion, according to police colonel Muhammad Khaziam al-Ali.

A second blast echoed over downtown Basra about midday (0900 GMT), an AFP correspondent reported, but it was not immediately known if there were further casualties.

"Some of the injured are school children. Boys and girls use this road early in the morning to go to school," Ali, the head of internal security forces in Iraq's southern capital, said.