kidnappings, a sport utility vehicle packed with artillery shells slammed into a crowd waiting to volunteer for the American backed Iraqi military Thursday June 17, killing at least 35 people and wounding 138.
Another car bomb north of the capital killed six members of the Iraqi security forces as part of efforts by foreign militants "to turn Iraq into a graveyard," Iraqi officials said."
As it neared the gate, the vehicle exploded, throwing bodies, body parts, and metal along a nearby four-lane road. The force of the blast hurled a car into the center of the roadway," said Voice of America (VOA) reporter Alisha Ryu, in Baghdad. There were no reports of American casualties.
An unidentified injured Iraqi recruiting officer who was hit by flying metal and concrete as he stood outside the building told VOA that he believes Iraqis are being paid to be suicide bombers for foreign Islamic militants, "who are determined to turn Iraq into a graveyard."
The explosion, the deadliest attack since a bombing outside another recruiting center in February, came shortly after church leaders expressed concern about growing Islamic extremism ahead of the transfer of sovereignty to Iraqis on June 30.
"We are suffering from two and three kidnappings a week," Father Bashar Warda, who teaches at the Chaldean Christians’ Babel College for Philosophy and Theology in Baghdad told The Guardian newspaper.
DOCTORS AND ENGINEERS
The Chaldeans, he said, form about 3% of the population but a much larger proportion of those with higher education, including hundreds of engineers and doctors, who have been especially targeted for kidnappings as well as their families. Adding to the difficulties are reports that many Christians are working for coalition forces and often singled out for deadly attacks.
"The occupation forces employ 100 Christians and 30 have been killed," said Father Bashar Warda. "Between five and 10 Chaldean families are leaving Iraq every day. Others are sending their wives and children away first, and will follow later if the security situation does not improve," he added, mainly to Syria, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.
MUSLIMS ALSO SUFFER
Barnabas Fund and Amnesty International, have also reported an increase in violence against Christians, although a bishop cautioned that ordinary Muslims are suffering as well. In addition officials linked to the transitional government were assassinated in recent days, including Ghazi Talabani, chief security for the Northern Oil Co., deputy foreign minister, Bassam Salih Kubba and Kamal Jarrah, who directed cultural contacts with foreign countries in the education ministry.
"Not only Kurds are being killed, but also Shiites and Sunnis; those who collaborate with the Americans“ even laundry workers“ and those who do not collaborate; those who work in the electrical energy sector; those who oversee the pipeline," said Chaldean Bishop Jacques Ishaq in an interview with AsiaNews, an internet news service.
"All those elements that are working for the normalization of the situation in Iraq are being targeted. I think all this is happening to block the country’s development," he was quoted as saying.
MORE VIOLENCE
Monday, June 14, a car bomb reportedy killed 11 people, including five foreign contractors, and wounded more than 60 when it ripped through Baghdad’s commercial district during morning rush hour.
As he visited Thursday’s blast, Iraqi Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi stressed those responsible for this "cowardly attack" were only trying to "create instability in Iraq", VOA repored. He blamed foreign countries, which he did not name, but warned will would "not succeed in derailing Iraq’s progress toward peace and stability."
He stressed that "this is an escalation that we have been expecting. We are going to face these escalations." However "we are going to face the enemies of Iraq and the Iraqi people are going to prevail," he promised.
