Baghdad
Bombs killed at least 78 people in two Baghdad markets this week on the first anniversary of the destruction of the Golden Mosque in Samarra, a major Shiite shrine. That bombing set off the Sunni-Shiite warfare that has raged across Iraq all year. Survivors of this week’s market attacks blamed Sunni insurgents. “The goal of the insurgents is to show us that the government is weak,” said Baghdad merchant Ali Hassan Flayha. “We understand. They’re right.” One of the attacks came just as Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, at an outdoor news conference, was touting the new U.S.-Iraqi initiative to secure Baghdad. “I am very hopeful that the Iraqis will work together to support the Iraqi security forces and police,” al-Maliki declared, as the explosion sounded nearby.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
