BAGHDAD — Sunni insurgents have conducted massive strikes on Shi'ite
strongholds in the Iraqi capital.
At least 161 people were killed in a series of coordinated attacks
throughout Baghdad. Most of the casualties were reported in Sadr City, a
Shi'ite neighborhood of two million people and the target of three suicide
car bombs as well as mortar strikes.
The bombings on Thursday marked the bloodiest attack in Iraq since 2003
and capped months of fighting between Sunnis and Shi'ites. Officials said
the car bombings were coordinated by Al Qaida operatives, Middle East Newsline reported.
"In this painful tragedy, I call on everybody to practice self-restraint
and stay calm," Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki said on Iraqi
television. "I hope that all political and civic powers will stand together
to protect the citizens from criminal action."
The government declared an indefinite curfew in Baghdad. At the same
time, the U.S. military was summoned to restore order to the city.
The Sunni attacks took place in advance of a Nov. 29 visit by President
George Bush to Jordan to discuss the future of Iraq. Bush has been scheduled
to meet Al Maliki to review a report by a U.S.-Iraqi commission authorized
to accelerate the transfer of security responsibility to Iraqi forces.
Minutes before the Sadr City bombing, Sunni fighters attacked the
Shi'ite-controlled Health Ministry. Officials said the ministry, a frequent
target of Sunni groups, was struck by at least 15 mortars as well as 100
Sunni gunmen in a battle that trapped 2,000 government employees for hours.
Health Minister Ali Al Shemari has been regarded as an appointee of the
Iranian-sponsored Mahdi Army. Mahdi Army commander Moqtada Sadr controls
about 30 members of parliament.
Shi'ite militias, ignoring calls for restraint by leading clerics,
responded by striking Sunni targets. Shi'ite militias fired five mortars
toward a leading Sunni mosque in Baghdad and one person was killed.
On Thursday, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said that over the last week
security forces killed 722 suspected insurgents. The ministry reported 55
police casualties and 160 injured since Nov. 16.
"We call on people to act responsibly and stand together to calm the
situation," a government statement read by Iraqi Vice President Tariq Al
Hashemi, a Sunni, said.
