Green Zone Hit By Suicide Bombers Two

Green Zone Hit by Suicide Bombers

Two suicide bombers wrought havoc inside the Green Zone in Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least four Americans. Al-Jazeerah suggested that the bold attack on the heart of US presence in the capital came in response to continued US bombing of Fallujah and recent American demands that Fallujans turn over Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and other foreign fighters. (The US has offered no evidence that al-Zarqawi is actually in the city).

Scott Peterson of the Christian Science Monitor argues from Baghdad that despite the continual bombings and insecurity, Allawi and the Americans have made some progress in their bid to hold elections in January. He points to so far successful negotiations with Sadrists in Sadr City, which has resulted in surrender of heavy arms for money and a promise of massive economic aid for the vast slum. Likewise the US managed at least for the moment to take back Samarra, a predominantly Sunni city of some 200,000 north of Baghdad.

Iraq News notes,

‘ Thursday, two bombs went off at 1:00 p.m. local time in Baghdad’s Green Zone which killed 10 people, four of whom were Americans. The Green Zone houses the U.S. and U.K. embassies and government officials. The area is the most protected area in the Iraqi capital. One bomb went off in area known as the Vendors’ alley while another went off by the Green Zone Cafe. Monotheism and Holy War, the group run by Iraq’s most wanted man, the Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, said it had carried out the bombings. In Fallujah, coalition forces carried out three strikes on sites linked to Zarqawi, the military said in separate e-mailed statements. The city of west of Baghdad is a suspected base for insurgents led by Zarqawi. Also, the U.S. struck a weapons depot in southern Fallujah, and a suspected safe house used by Zarqawi’s network at 1:05 p.m. Thursday. ‘