Locals Slam Security Forces in Wake of Baghdad Attack

Massive Attack at Army Recruitment Center Damages Credibility

Iraqis are still reeling from the latest in a long line of massive suicide attacks today, after a pre-dawn attack on a Baghdad Army Recruitment center left at least 61 killed and 125 others wounded.

The attack has sparked public condemnation, not so much against the militants but against the Iraqi Army, which promises massive security gains but can’t even protect its own recruitment centers.

We were promised security in this country, but we were cheated,” one local was quoted as saying. Others expressed frustration at the “empty” promises of the government security forces.

July was the deadliest month in over two years in Iraq, and violence has been increasing more or less steadily throughout the year. Despite the massive death tolls US officials shrugged off today’s killings and insisted that “progress” was being made.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.