Revenge killings in Tal Afar after bombings
"One of the bloodiest chapters in Iraq’s sectarian strife unfolded over the past two days in the northern city of Tal Afar where gunmen, some of them apparently police officers, participated in the revenge killings of scores of Sunnis in the aftermath of a huge double suicide bombing in a Shiite area.
Two hours after the explosion of truck bombs, which killed 83 people and wounded more than 185, the gunmen — some of whom witnesses recognized as police officers — went house to house in a Sunni neighborhood, dragged people into the street and shot them in the head, witnesses and local leaders said. The killing went on for several hours before the Iraqi Army intervened. The police are mostly Shiites." [1]
" 'The car bombs are aimed at Shia, and when they see it so one-sided and it keeps carrying on, without any government action, I think it's a matter of time before they come back for revenge,' said Haider al-Ebaidi, a Shiite lawmaker. To Ebaidi, the progress of the security plan, which U.S. and Iraqi forces began implementing in the middle of February, 'so far has been very slow, and the longer it takes, the more pressure there will be on the people to seek help from militias, and this is very dangerous.'
But U.S. military officials cautioned that the attacks in Tall Afar and south of Baghdad did not necessarily add up to a resurgence of Shiite militias.
. . . 'Whether we can say that some group is back or some militia is back after two isolated events in two different parts of the country is probably too early to say,' said Lt. Col. Christopher C. Garver, a U.S. military spokesman.
. . . Tall Afar had as many as 200,000 residents several years ago, although U.S. military officials say the population has declined to 80,000. Most residents are ethnic Turkmen, about 70 percent of them Sunni and 25 percent Shiite." [2]
sources
[1] Rubin, Alissa J. (The New York Times). 70 Killed in Wave of Revenge in Northern Iraq. March 29, 2007.
[2] Partlow, Joshua. (The Washington Post). Gunmen Go On Rampage In Iraqi City. March 29, 2007.
posted: saturday, march 31, 2007, 5:39 PM ET
tags: iraq tall afar
Two hours after the explosion of truck bombs, which killed 83 people and wounded more than 185, the gunmen — some of whom witnesses recognized as police officers — went house to house in a Sunni neighborhood, dragged people into the street and shot them in the head, witnesses and local leaders said. The killing went on for several hours before the Iraqi Army intervened. The police are mostly Shiites." [1]
" 'The car bombs are aimed at Shia, and when they see it so one-sided and it keeps carrying on, without any government action, I think it's a matter of time before they come back for revenge,' said Haider al-Ebaidi, a Shiite lawmaker. To Ebaidi, the progress of the security plan, which U.S. and Iraqi forces began implementing in the middle of February, 'so far has been very slow, and the longer it takes, the more pressure there will be on the people to seek help from militias, and this is very dangerous.'
But U.S. military officials cautioned that the attacks in Tall Afar and south of Baghdad did not necessarily add up to a resurgence of Shiite militias.
. . . 'Whether we can say that some group is back or some militia is back after two isolated events in two different parts of the country is probably too early to say,' said Lt. Col. Christopher C. Garver, a U.S. military spokesman.
. . . Tall Afar had as many as 200,000 residents several years ago, although U.S. military officials say the population has declined to 80,000. Most residents are ethnic Turkmen, about 70 percent of them Sunni and 25 percent Shiite." [2]
sources
[1] Rubin, Alissa J. (The New York Times). 70 Killed in Wave of Revenge in Northern Iraq. March 29, 2007.
[2] Partlow, Joshua. (The Washington Post). Gunmen Go On Rampage In Iraqi City. March 29, 2007.
posted: saturday, march 31, 2007, 5:39 PM ET
tags: iraq tall afar
posted by eric at 4:20 PM
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