Al Qaeda use two 'Down's syndrome' women to blow up 73 people in Baghdad markets

[Traveling_Home]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=511678&in_page_id=1811

Al Qaeda use two 'Down's syndrome' women to blow up 73 people in Baghdad markets

Two women thought to suffer from Down's syndrome may have been unwilling suicide bombers in twin blasts that killed up to 73 people at pet markets in Baghdad today.
The first bomber instantly killed 45 people at a packed pet market in Baghdad in the deadliest attack in the Iraqi capital in six months.

A separate attack shortly after killed 20 people and wounded scores at a bird market in southern Baghdad.


The death toll from the two bombings increased throughout the day to at least 73.

The chief Iraqi military spokesman in Baghdad, Brigadier General Qassim al-Moussawi, claimed the female bombers apparently had Down's syndrome and the explosives were detonated by remote control, indicating the women may not have been willing attackers, according to his office.

Bolstering that claim, local police said the woman in the first attack sold cream in the morning at the market and was known to locals as "the crazy lady".

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[iconoclastic cat]

1. There is a special place in hell for whoever pushed that button. nt

[villager]

2. ah, the God-like fundamentalists, spreading cosmic joy around the planet!

Can't the rest of humanity have a "counter-purge" in its various religions?

[smiley_glad_hands]

3. Why does Al Qaeda hate the Iragis freedoms?

Seriously though, you'd think the iraqis would get pissed off and take care of this shit on their own.

[Common Sense Party]

4. That's sick. I guess the kids have gotten wise and are running

away now. They have to find victims who won't run away.

[shain from kane]

5. I'm calling propaganda bullshit. Prove it. n/t

[TheMadMonk]

7. I'll go you one better. Al Qaeda? I don't think so.

Can't think of many more effective ways of getting the backs of Western citizens (particularly the more woolly thinkers on the left) up and have them screaming for Al Qaeda blood instead of withdrawal.

This has psyops written all over it.

[Andreshunter77]

9. Good point. We tend to believe everything

That comes from the corporate press.

[sinkingfeeling]

6. And who got the note or phone call stating al Qaeda was responsible?

[RethugAssKicker]

8. How do you know its Al Quaeda ?

[KamaAina]

10. Are we certain the women had Down's?

This piece from the International Herald Tribune, dated the following week, appears to debunk the Down's claim. I say "appears" because it's based on (dis?)information from the U.S. military.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/20/africa/ME-GEN-Iraq-US-Military.php

BAGHDAD: The U.S. military said Wednesday that two women used as suicide bombers in attacks against two pet markets in Baghdad earlier this month had undergone psychiatric treatment but there's no indication they had Down syndrome, as Iraqi officials had claimed....

The Iraqi claim that mentally disabled women were used in the Feb. 1 pet market bombings that killed nearly 100 people was met initially with skepticism. Iraqi authorities said they based the assertion on photos of the bombers' heads that purportedly showed the women had Down syndrome, and did not offer any other proof.

The U.S. military later backed the Iraqi account of the bombings. Smith backed away from the claim about Down syndrome on Wednesday but said the women did suffer from mental issues.

"Both had recently received psychiatric treatment for depression and/or schizophrenia. From what they know now there's no indication that they had Down syndrome," Smith said.