In this morning's New York Times, Iraq is to be found on A8. Stephen Farrell's "Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 25 Near Reinery in Northern Iraq" runs down the bombing that claimed the lives of at least 18 people in Baiji. The other bombing resulting in mass deaths is noted in the article if not the headline. Farrell quotes a witness to the Baiji bombing, Khalaf Jabbar, declaring, "I was driving with my brother in his pickup truck when there was a huge explosion 10 meters ahead from us. My brother's vehicle was burned and my brother is missing. Maybe his body has been destroyed." More on Baquba in a second.
On the same page, Sebnem Arsu and Farrell's "Turkey Says Its Airstrikes in Northern Iraq Have Killed More Than 150 Kurdish Rebels" which reports that the US military (specifically Rear Adm. Greg Smith) confirms that Turkish planes flew into the air space of northern Iraq yesterday but does not confirm that any bombs were dropped. Ayla Jean Yackley (Bloomerg News) reports this morning that "Turkish jets bombed eight sites in norhtern Iraq today". Reuters reports that the northern Iraq region's spokesperon Jabbar Yawar has stated that the bombings have not resulted in any deaths.
Joshua Partlow (Washington Post) also reports on yesterday's bombings and notes:
In Baqubah, tensions were particularly high because of allegations by Iraqis that, hours before the bombing there, U.S. forces had executed two members of an American-backed volunteer force. The U.S. military denied the accusations.
In Baqubah, tensions were particularly high because of allegations by Iraqis that, hours before the bombing there, U.S. forces had executed two members of an American-backed volunteer force. The U.S. military denied the accusations.
[. . .]
According to Iraqi officials and residents of Baqubah, the funeral was for two members of the city's Sunni volunteer force, former members of an insurgent group who had turned against al-Qaeda in Iraq and allied themselves with the U.S. military. Despite that allinace, however relatives and residents blamed the U.S. military for the two men's deaths.
The men were identified as Uday Hassan Hameed, 27, and Hadi Jasim Rasheed, 60, according to Haji Basim al-Bayiati, a member of the volunteer force. A Washington Post special correspondent who arrived at the scene after 5 a.m. took photos of the two corpses. The hands of both men were bound with plastic handcuffs, and the younger man was wearing an orange reflective vest on which the word 'security' was written in English. Several men at the scene said they believed the two had been captured, hancuffed and then shot.
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the washington post
joshua partlow
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