Suicide Bombers Kill 35 Iraqi Recruits

[Purveyor]

Source: New York Times

BAGHDAD — Two suicide bombers posing as army recruits struck an Iraqi base just east of Baquba on Tuesday morning, killing at least 35 Iraqi recruits and wounding 63, according to the Iraqi police and medical officials in Diyala Province.

The attack came as Iraqi troops prepared for what their commanders predict will be a challenging fight to try to reclaim large areas of Diyala that remain sanctuaries for Salafist jihadist fighters and other antigovernment guerrillas.

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While Diyala has seen a rash of female suicide bomber attacks — including one three weeks ago that killed 15 people and wounded 40 near a court building in Baquba — both attackers Tuesday were men, the Iraqi police said.

Many American military officials believe that Diyala remains the most difficult battlefield in the country. The thick palm groves of the Diyala River Valley, which stretches northeast from Baquba to Muqdadiya, the second-largest city in the province, are a refuge for guerrillas who terrorize families in the countryside.

Iraqi officials have announced a looming military operation in Diyala, one that may prove more difficult than other recent Iraqi campaigns. In operations in Basra, Amara and the Sadr City district of Baghdad, the Iraqi troops faced Shiite militias, and all three operations essentially ended in truces that allowed many militia fighters to melt away.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/16/world/middleeast/16iraq.html?_r=1&partner=EXCITE&ei=5043&oref=slogin

[SpiralHawk]

1. "Surge!" - Commander AWOL

[Alcibiades]

2. return on success

Whatever that means. No arbitrary deadlines. We'll just stay until the violence stops.