At least 40 killed in attack on Baghdad mosque

[IDemo]

One bomber inside the Shiite mosque, one outside, Iraq police say

BREAKING NEWS
MSNBC News Services
Updated: 8:29 a.m. ET April 7, 2006

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A suicide bomber inside a Shiite mosque and another outside blew themselves up Friday, killing at least 40 people in northern Baghdad, police said.

Another 45 people were wounded in the blast, Reuters reported. The mosque belonged to SCIRI, the most powerful party inside Iraq’s ruling Shiite Alliance.

Police earlier had said the explosions were caused by mortar rounds and that only three people were wounded.

Friday's bombings follow a car bombing near a sacred Shiite shrine in the southern city of Najaf on Thursday that killed at least 13 people.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12197953/

[dubyaD40web]

1. Update your link to the real story.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12197953/

[rodeodance]

2. cnn saying may have been 3 bombers. INSIDE the mosque--plus 7 car

bombs throughout the city (their intel).

[ShortnFiery]

3. Oh, this is tragic ...

Their country is imploding into death and chaos. :cry:

[sabra]

4. heard it's over 70 dead now :-(

[napi21]

5. Suicide bombers attack a Shiite mosque-kills 65.

http://www.cnn.com/

Three suicide bombers today attacked a Shiite mosque in Baghdad, killing at least 65 people and wounding 158, according to Iraqi officials. The attack occurred at the Buratha mosque, which has close ties to the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, a large Shiite political movement. Two of the bombers were wearing suicide vests.

[Windy]

6. But there is no civil war.....

[napi21]

7. This attack was worse than the first one because it was done

just at prayer services were wrapping up. The full article says more than 158 others were injured.

[OKNancy]

8. direct link to updated story

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/04/07/iraq.main/index.html

[leftyladyfrommo]

9. And the Beat Goes On, and the Beat Goes On.

[Just Me]

10. Wasn't it SCIRI that, just last week, demanded US hand over control?

That's my recollection.

This is just horrifying. ;(

[quaoar]

11. These are just some dead-enders

It's obvious that the insurgents are desperate. They are clearly in their last throes. Victory is close at hand -- if only the liberal media would start reporting all the good news from Iraq.

[Bush_MUST_Go]

12. So what exactly IS bush's plan?

Obviously his brilliant war plans mean doing nothing EXCEPT staying in Iraq to wipe up the blood of innocent people AFTER each new attack.

[Canuckistanian]

13. I heard Khalizad commenting on this

He said, get this, that the Iraqi government should hasten attempts to form a government OR ELSE the country would be plunged into "sectarian violence and civil war".

Wouldn't want THAT, would we? People could get killed.

[JeffR]

14. Kicking this back up

It's a huge story.

[oblivious]

15. The reports on the source of the blast are confusing

1. The OP at 8:29am says first police thought it was caused by mortar rounds. Then later they decided two suicide bombers did it.

2. At 3:05pm the link was updated - nothing about the possibility of mortar rounds:

Police Lt. Col. Falah al-Mohammedawi said the blasts were caused by two suicide attackers wearing black abayas at the Buratha mosque, which is affiliated with the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the main Shiite party.

Jalal Eddin al-Sagheer, the preacher at the mosque and one of the country’s leading politicians, said there were three assailants.One came through the women’s security checkpoint and blew up first, he said. Another raced into the mosque’s courtyard while a third came to his office before detonating his bomb, said al-Sagheer, who was not injured.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12197953/

3. The Guardian article, at 6:30pm, compiled from AP and other agencies opens with 3 suicide bombers but closes saying that was what they thought at first, but later dcided it could have been mortar fire and a stationary bomb:

Earlier, officials said shrapnel found at the scene suggested the blasts could have been caused by explosive vests. However, some reports said the attack could have been a combination of mortar fire and a stationary bomb.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1749341,00.html?gusrc=rss

So the OP says first they thought it was mortar fire, but then decided on suicide bombers. The Guardian say first they thought it was suicide bombers, but later decided it could have been mortar fire or bomb.

[unkachuck]

16. this is sad and getting worse....

....Iraqis weren't bothering anybody until bush showed up....'if only those incompetant Iraqis would quit screwing around, get their act together and start playing democracy better....obviously they're being ungrateful for all we've done'....

....like bombing the crap out of their country, invading, destroying their lives and society....I don't see how anyone could justify this debacle....or would even try....

....get our troops out now, go to the UN, carve the place up if necessary and let's help the Iraqis get back on their feet....send the bill to us to be paid for by a windfall-profits tax on the oil companies....maybe then we could regain some respect from the world....