BREAKING: Explosions in Vicinity of Red Cross HQ in Iraq

[meisje]

not good!

[diamond14]

1. wow!!! is the TET Offensive here already....OMG.....nt

nt

[villager]

29. Tet, indeed...

...been thinking that since this afternoon...

[slaveplanet]

38. yes-this is the TET, Today is the beginng of Ramadan

These are not ametuers, this is big support behind this.

Things may get much worse , real quick.

[markses]

2. I knew I saw breaking news on CNN

They showed a huge cloud of smoke billowing from behind a building that was blocking the view. No information, then back to friggin Larry King. Bullocks!

[jenk]

3. casualties?

.

[NNN0LHI]

4. I have a feeling things are going really bad in Iraq right now n/t

[DuctapeFatwa]

5. Second Explosion

Gratitude is bustin' out all over

[tinnypriv]

8. Iraqi version of shock and awe

Nothing says 'get the fuck out' quite like a Tet offensive.

[DuctapeFatwa]

10. it seems to be a series of positive, upbeat explosions

CNN International is showing Al Jaz footage :P

[Syrinx]

6. fox news interrupted dem debate repeat

[Kitsune]

7. Wow

Lots of things blowing up today....

No, that resistance isn't coordinated, it's just sporadic outburts... :eyes:

[Zgrrl]

9. get used to it, folks...

This is not going to end anytime soon. I pray for the men and women of our armed forces that are over there having to deal with this, and for their families here at home.

:-(

[Skittles]

78. you know it, Zgrrl

I despair for our soldiers, and for the people of Iraq too. What a mess.

[jenk]

11. Drudge has the siren up now

,

[unfrigginreal]

12. On CNN now! n/t

[jenk]

13. what I think is going on here

the iraqi's are spying wolfowitz and trying to get him at certain locations

informants are telling these bombers where wolfowitz is and they're trying to kill him. I bet he was close to the bombing earlier today and that's why we didn't hear too much about it.

[diamond14]

32. if wolfo had combat experience, he would have left Iraq ASAP after

the first 8 missiles went through his luxury hotel....

[jenk]

14. from the CNN website

Powerful explosion rocks central Baghdad, near the Red Cross building. Coalition forces cordoning off scene. Details soon.

[Syrinx]

15. fox says now second blast rocks central baghdad

[smallprint]

16. CNN live feed w Jane Arraf

Two car bombs (at least) in front of ICRC building... still burning heavily... facade of 2/3 story building is damaged but not collapsed... a few walking wounded, strechers coming out...

on edit: now they are saying there was a second bombing, near the Ministry of Industry...

[MnFats]

17. BBC radio sez rescue crews etc. racing to scene....

this at 00:12 a.m. CDT 10-26

[jenk]

18. suspected double car bombing

.

[Old and In the Way]

19. Isn't this what our Fearless Leader asked for?

Didn't he challenge them to "bring it on"?

What a mess.....

[tinnypriv]

20. LATEST: Two plumes of smoke, both car-bombs, Red Cross + Industry Ministry

That from CNN + BBC.

No word of casulties.

Helicopters over both, ambulances and fire services rushing to scene.

[Blitz]

21. Link

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,101275,00.html

Damage to the Red Cross building, apparently.

[Wwagsthedog]

22. From Star

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2003/10/27/latest/14721Strongexp&sec=latest

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Strong explosion rocked an area of Baghdad near the Red Cross building and thick black smoke was billowing from the area, witnesses said, At least two cars were on fire and U.S. troops were cordoning off the area.

Fire trucks and ambulances were racing to the scene.

The huge blast, which occurred shortly after 8:30 a.m., occurred one day after a rocket attack on the Al Rasheed Hotel, where U.S. military and coalition officials lived. One U.S. colonel was killed and 18 people were injured. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz was in the building but escaped injury.

At least one other explosion could be heard soon after the first one Monday. It appeared the second explosion was in the area of the al-Shaab neighborhood.

Iraqi police said the first blast was caused by a car bomb at the International Committee of the Red Cross building near Andalus Street. Police shouted at the crowd to clear the area for fear another car bomb might be hidden in the area.

More...

[RamboLiberal]

23. CNN now reporting 3rd Explosion

1:14 AM EST, 9:15 AM Iraqi time. This is looking like Tet.

[jenk]

27. Bill Bennett gives 2-1 odds on a 4th explosion

.

[Jackpine Radical]

82. You're sick. Sick, do you hear?

ROTFLMAO.

[Syrinx]

24. everytime FNC interrupts the debate, Edwards is speaking

:shrug:

[smallprint]

25. CNN

Richard Quest in the British studio is about to lose his shit... he's freaked out, sputtering, almost shouting at the correspondants... it's stressful just listening to him...

Now Ben Wedeman is saying there was just a 3rd explosion somewhere...

[kidrocks]

Breaking!

FoxNews reporting 3 deaths!

[tinnypriv]

26. First bomb may have been in an ambulance

These are some clever, mad bastards.

[villager]

28. Yahoo link here

...but it sounds like it's already outdated:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031027/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_explosion&cid=540&ncid=716

[bpilgrim]

30. english.aljazeera.net

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/518F98E0-E217-46E1-8254-7BA181309B47.htm

:hi:

peace

[smallprint]

31. Not much actual news getting out

Live video on CNN shows a huge chaotic industrial area surrounded by buildings, there are ambulances, fire engines, iraqi police, US soldiers, many civilian men, everyone wondering around and shouting, but there not much to do it seems...

Richard Quest still shouting so loud the spittle is hitting the mike... that guy needs some Valium pronto or he's going to bust a blood vessel...

What a fucked up situation...


On edit: CNN confirming it was an ambulance that exploded at the ICRC

[silverchair]

33. sounds like

all hell is breaking loose. bring our troops the hell home.

[JasonBerry]

37. Yep!

This is exactly why George Bush (King George I) didn't seek Saddam's overthrow after Gulf War I. Remember, Bush, Sr. once called Saddam a, "Stabilizing influence in the Middle East." Now we are seeing why: No Saddam = chaos, a need for the US to get the hell out, and the sad fact that if we do leave Islamic radicals (think Iran, even Afghanistan) will set up shop in Baghdad within a year. So - where does that leave us? Normally, I would say just let the Iraqi's decide for themselves. But, hell, the U.S. CREATED this disaster and if we leave, we need to make DAMN SURE somebody is there to help rebuild the country we have plunged into economic and political chaos. My $.02......

[aquart]

41. Now that it's started...

It won't stop until far more corpses than Saddam ever managed to kill are rolled into mass graves.

And everybody knows who started it.

[JasonBerry]

46. I'm afraid you are right N/T

~

[RamboLiberal]

34. CNN reporting 2nd explosion - oil ministry building may have been target

less than 100 meters from that building.

[proud patriot]

35. Please bring our soldiers home

:-(

[RevolutionStartsNow]

36. This sucks

Getting worse there, and I bet reporting is going to get more sparse. This is terrible for the families back home.

How the hell can they say it's getting better there? You know the WH is going to try to spin it, but how can they possibly?

[tinnypriv]

39. al Jazeera says 12 DEAD, including one foreigner

http://english.aljazeera.net

'wave of attacks'

[Dover]

40. .....

..

[MnFats]

42. BBC reporting chaotic scene, 13 dead

U.S. APCs surround scene, trying to keep people away from scene; relatives of possible victims streaming to scene, weeping crowds in street.....'first journos on scene report vehicles in tatters, body parts on street..."

[Cush]

43. a 3rd explosion?

somethign about a 3rd explosion on CNN

[Maple]

45. Yes, what happened with the third explosion?

And have there been more?

[burrowowl]

44. I don't think

that the Iraki resistance is impressed by the job the ICRC is doing on monitoring the compliance with the Geneva Conventions by the Occupying Force.

[Wwagsthedog]

47. IRAQ BLAST 'KILLS 12'

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-12883700,00.html

At least 12 people have reportedly been killed as two bomb blasts rocked central Baghdad.

A massive car bomb exploded outside the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) injuring 22 people and claiming 12 lives, claim witnesses.

A second large blast followed minutes later outside the Iraqi health ministry.

The remains of two burnt-out vehicles smouldered on the street.

A spokeswoman for the Red Cross said some its workers were among the casualties.

Ambulances and police raced through the streets towards the explosion site as Iraqis were seen running away.

ICRC spokesperson Nada Doumani said: "There's been a very big explosion near our offices, I believe it was the building to next us."

An ambulance driven into the gates of the Red Cross building caused the devastation in the first bomb.

Coalition helicopters flew overhead as a plume of thick, black smoke rose into the sky.

The blasts occurred a day after a barrage of rockets pounded a central Baghdad hotel housing a top US defence official, killing a US soldier and wounding 17 other people.

[Cush]

48. now saying 4 more?

2 police stations were also targeted, but failed

[tinnypriv]

49. Image from Arabic al-Jazeera

[grasswire]

50. the fourth in this series..

....might have been an aid organization called CARE.

So that's eight rockets at the Al Rashid

Two explosions after that with a news blackout

Four explosions later including the Red Cross and possibly the Ministry of Information and the CARE organization.

[grasswire]

51. incidentally....

....I haven't seen any info that Wolfowitz is out of Iraq yet.

Has anyone seen that news?? He was supposed to leave on Sunday or Monday.

[Minstrel Boy]

55. Maybe he's escaping in the trunk of a car

like his pal Chalabi did.

[CivilRightsNow]

72. Where did you get the CARE Info?

MSNBC, CNN, CCNI and FAUX are all on celebrity or octupus stories.

They blacked out at the same time.

This is bullshit.

I've never gotten the oppurtunity to see anything like this blackout.

It's amazing.

[Cush]

52. Leave it to CNN

they are interviewing a General(?) who keeps talking about how great things are, things are reyruning to normal, a bridge was open. This ltest attack was done by amatures, its just a coincidence that they occurred at the same time


....yes he is saying this

[frank frankly]

56. oh my, oh my

are you fucking kidding???

[Cush]

59. yup

[Syrinx]

53. that Army guy on CNN videophone seems like such a plant.

[Cush]

54. yup

trying to spin away

[Syrinx]

58. I didn't realize he was a general

I missed that. And then through the grainy picture, I thought he was a corporal, or something.

[phirili]

Can anyone help Bremer?

Bremer said he had ordered a thorough probe into Sunday's rocket attacks on the Baghdad hotel where US Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz was staying.

[Cush]

57. Fox News

Says there are reports that 10 Iraqis, (then w/ empahsis) thats 10 IRAQI's are dead.

So, whats the message here?

[Maple]

61. Assuming

Fox news is telling the truth...it's still sending a message.

You think anyone is relaxed there or feels safe?

[Cush]

65. I'm talking about FOX's message

Its like they're saying "Well, they weren't Amercians, so its not so bad"

ITs jsut the way they had to repeat with emphasis that the dead were Iraqi's

[Syrinx]

62. Four more explosions, five total, they say now

[CivilRightsNow]

70. 5?

Fox is saying 5?

CNN just spun it around so fast I dont even know which way the television is.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

60. Surreal commentary on CNN Int'l

The latest explosions being covered as Breaking News. The anchors are reporting on the General's statement about these latest bombings.

Says the General: "They didn't hit their targets...this is the work of amateurs...this was a GREAT day for the Iraqi police and security forces who have been protecting the Iraqi people." And on the screen while he's saying this, a bloody injured woman is being led away from the blasts...

Unreal. "A GREAT day" he said. OMFG.

[frank frankly]

63. they are insane, insane, and insane

and assholes

[phirili]

64. Really weird on CNN

Ben Wedeman says the bombing is preventing people from going to the market.

[bpilgrim]

66. i hope somebody is taping this

i will host it, i can't believe what i am reading :crazy:

this has got to start waking a lot more people up :'(

peace

[RevolutionStartsNow]

68. More: Brig. Gen. Mark Hertling being interviewed on CNN

Split screen with the General talking and bombing aftermath scenes.

"We're seeing decreases in the amount of attacks...our take is that we're gaining ground here in Baghdad"

Playing it all down, especially the additional explosions last night, which he is attributing to "celebratory fire" and "leftover munitions"..."normal events for a Sunday".

Referred to the attacks as "interferences" and the attackers as "thugs" and "criminal elements."

He's Mr. Cool, this General. 10 dead Iraqis on the 1st day of Ramadan, no big deal. Asshole.

[Rose Siding]

83. "...we're gaining ground here in Baghdad"

mission accomplished. SOB.

I remember before the invasion a clip on cnn 24 hr. The reporter was standing in the peaceful, bustling streets of Baghdad and in between explaining what a horrid man saddam was, she told of an Iraqi custom. There were tea carts dotting the neighborhoods and visitors were not allowed to pay for their tea. If only they'd known us better...

[dArKeR]

67. Baghdad blasts kill at least 18 - Mirror

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/24by7panews/page.cfm?objectid=13560253&method=full&siteid=50143

[CivilRightsNow]

69. What the hell?

There was an ambulance bomb at the red cross. Initially they thought there was an Ambulance and a car bomb at the red cross. They seem to have backtracked and said that the other 3 cars... all the way across the street, one was identified as a car carring a bomb earlier ( it was shooting huge flames out of every orifice) were just residually effected by the Ambulance's big blast. But now the ambulance wasnt carrying many explosives at all... but the death toll keeps rising.. 3.. 10.. 12.. 18

A car Bomb at the Ministry of Oil

bomb in an Iraqi police station.. nobody is saying a damn thing about that at the moment..

A car bomb in southern iraq.

Nobody has showed footage of anything but the Red Cross bomb.

CNN said that another police station was unsucessfully attacked.. I dunno what that means... right after saying that the first one was bombed.

What the hell is going on? I feel like Im on drugs or something.

Now CNN is showing a rerun of "Royal Secrets Revealed"

[grasswire]

71. from canada.com

In one of the other bombings, a vehicle exploded in front of the al-Khadra police station in northeastern Baghdad, killing three or four people, according to Iraqi policeman Saad Abdullah.

He said about 50 people were injured and 10 cars were damaged. The blast caused panic among children at a nearby school, he said.

[CivilRightsNow]

73. Um, do we have any news stations?

CNN is running a recap of the day. The just ran the Hotel story and said something about how it proved they were winning the war on security.

CNNI - Princess Diana's Butler

MSNBC - Octopus sea life special-- wait they broke in with a semi long list of bombings, not all of them.
They did mention an shoot out at a police station.

Faux- some celebrity thing

[SahaleArm]

74. MSGOP

National Geographic is some of their best programming. You would think that the bombing would preempt this stuff.

[CivilRightsNow]

75. 10 US soldiers injured or killed..

I didnt catch it all.. MSNBC update.

Did anyone catch that.

They reported 4 bombings, I didnt catch their whole run down

[CivilRightsNow]

76. 3 seperate car bombings on police stations. MSNBC just said this.

MSNBC just said this. Some live reporter.

[spinbaby]

77. As soon as I saw this, I turned on CNN

Before my coffee even. Their take on it: Several explosions in Baghdad, 10 Iraqis dead, back to other news. They seem to have gotten the "don't talk about it" message.

[nonconformist]

79. Horrible! 40 dead.

Almost 40 killed in Baghdad explosions

BAGHDAD (AP) — Car bombers struck the international Red Cross headquarters and four police stations across Baghdad on Monday, killing about 40 people in a spree of destruction that terrorized the Iraqi capital on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, according to police and Red Cross reports.
<snip>

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-10-27-baghdad-explosion_x.htm

[underpants]

81. Yep the FIRST day of Ramadan

A couple of weeks ago a US military source was quoted as saying that if things didn't settle down by the 26th there would probably be big trouble.

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/Iraq/0,,2-10-1460_1436392,00.html

40 dead in Ramadan rampage
27/10/2003 14:52 - (SA)

The deadly bomb blasts that rocked Baghdad on the first morning of the Muslim holy month are now thought to have killed up to 40 people, claim the latest reports.

[htuttle]

80. Car Bomb Attacks Kill 39 Across Baghdad

By CHARLES J. HANLEY, AP Special Correspondent

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Car bombers struck the international Red Cross headquarters and four police stations across Baghdad on Monday, killing about 40 people in a spree of destruction that terrorized the Iraqi capital on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The string of bombings, all within less than an hour, was the bloodiest attack yet in the city of 5 million by insurgents targeting the American-led occupation and those perceived as working with it. It also appeared like a dramatic escalation in tactics — in past weeks, bombers have carried out heavy suicide bombings, but in single strikes.

The Red Cross said 12 Iraqis were killed at its office, including two of its own employees. Police said 27 were killed in the police station bombings, most of them Iraqis. The U.S. military said one American soldier was killed in one of the police station attacks.

(more at link)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&e=1&u=/ap/20031027/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[diamond14]

84. it's ALWAYS just ONE American Soldier...always just ONE.....

sometimes ONE more American Soldier gets injured...but other than that...move on folks....the Iraqis are happy, we're happy, everything is fine in Iraq...why are you questioning, citizen???

[Rose Siding]

85. Five soldiers dead since yesterday

and God knows how many injured.
I lifted this from Markses in the soldier thread:

"1 - US Army Colonel killed in rocket attack on al-Rashid Hotel;
1 - 4th ID dies of non-hostile gunshot wound, Baquba;
1 - killed in mortar attack, Abu Gharib prison;
2 - 1st AD soldiers killed by IED while on patrol, Baghdad

.....And it's being reported that at least one more died in the car bombings on Monday morning....."

[Catherine Vincent]

86. Republican callers and listeners on C-Span don't want to hear this.

They only want to hear the good news out of Iraq. They think the media should only report the good things happening.

Morons!

[diamond14]

88. this is good? (pic from MSNBC - Red Cross workers)

[deceased]

87. insurgents?

is anyone completely sure this isnt a retaliation strike for the attack on the rashid hotel?


i just read this on yahoo news:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031027/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_512

1. the attack was on the first day of ramadan
2. in the past bombings have only been single strikes, not a coordinated effort.
3. the redcross was attacked at 8:30am, when only one quarter of the workers would be there.
4. a redcross staff member said; 'someone began firing off an automatic weapon immediately after the explosion — "100 bullets or more."'
5. 8 police and 24 civilians were killed
6. one of the car bombers was diving a Land Cruiser
7. other car bombers were driving Ambulances


1a. who is more likely to blow something up on ramadam? the allied forces or a muslim insurgent?
2a. why is this the first time we see an attack of this nature?
3a. why did the car bombers pick a time where causalties would be at a minimum?
4a. why the machinegun fire? where did it come from?
5a. 8 iraqi police isnt a huge loss to the u.s. effort in iraq
6a. where does a car bomber get a Land Cruiser? kind of an expensive car to be blowing up.
7a. where does a car bomber get an ambulance? was it reported stolen?


without knowing all the facts and only having read one news report, from yahoo no less, i cant really say with any conviction that it seems likely to be a retaliatory strike.


i just think it would be wise to keep your minds open to the possibility.