Just one day after Pentagon official Colin Kahl predicted an increase in Iraq attacks, two massive suicide bombings ripped through the war-torn nation, killing at least 90 and injuring another 125. The attacks were some of the deadliest in recent months, and a sign that while the US touts its military “success,” Iraq remains a very dangerous place.
The larger of the two attacks was, as so many of the recent major bombings have been, targeted at Shi’ite pilgrims. Attacking a restaurant in Diyala Province, most of the 55 deaths were Iranian pilgrims heading to Karbala.
The other attack was in a predominantly Shi’ite district of central Baghdad, and targeted a group of Iraqi police distributing Red Crescent food parcels to the populace. The attack toll has reportedly risen to 33. The New York Times reports “in the aftermath of the blast, the street was littered with bags of flour and red apples, and pieces of human flesh attracted masses of flies.”