Iraq Watch: February 12, 2007

Somber Anniversary Marred by Bombings

As Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki held a press conference marking the one-year anniversary of the bombing of the al-Askariya shrine in Samarra, the thunderous sounds of explosions reverberated across the war-torn capital city Monday.

Al-Maliki's calls for unity and togetherness were drowned out by exploding munitions and the wailing sirens emanating from emergency-response vehicles that followed. An ashy cloud of black smoke from the blast site wafted skyward.

Casualty figures from the Shorja market blasts varied with some estimates placing the toll as high as 90 killed and over 160 wounded.

An earlier bombing in the nearby Bab al-Sharqi district left nearly ten Iraqis dead.

In other violence across Iraq Monday, as reported by Reuters:

BAGHDAD - Police said they found 32 bodies scattered around the Iraqi capital, all apparent victims of sectarian violence.

KUT - Gunmen killed a primary school guard in central Kut, 170 km (105 miles) southeast of Baghdad. The guard was a former member of Saddam Hussein's Baath party, police said.

FALAHIYA - Police found the body of a policeman bearing signs of torture in Falahiya, south of Baghdad. The policeman had been kidnapped last week, police said.

BAGHDAD - A bomb killed two people and wounded five others when it exploded in the mainly Shi'ite district of Qahira in northern Baghdad, police said.