Suicide truck bomb kills about 100 in Iraq, mostly Iranian pilgrims

[Jugger]

Now it seems that India at present is safer than many arab countries for shia population.

 

[EgyptianAmerican]

A suicide bombing claimed by the militant Islamic State (IS) group killed at least 70 people, mainly Shia pilgrims, south of Baghdad Thursday, in the latest militant attack as Iraqi forces battle to retake Mosul.

The huge truck bomb blast ripped through a petrol station where buses packed with faithful returning from the Arbaeen commemoration in Karbala were parked, officials said.

Most of the victims were Iranians, the largest contingent of foreigners in the pilgrimage, which is one of the world's largest religious events and culminated on Monday.

The attack took place near a village called Shomali, about 120 kilometres southeast of Baghdad.

IS, which is fighting to defend its Mosul stronghold in northern Iraq, claimed responsibility for the attack.

In a statement quoted by the SITE Intelligence Group, IS said a bomber “blew up his vehicle amidst their assembly, inflicting among them more than 200 killed and wounded, including Iranians.”

Falah al-Radhi, head of the provincial security committee for Babylon, the province where the bombing happened, said it had targeted several buses.

“A large truck exploded among them. It was a suicide attack,” he told AFP.

“There are at least 70 dead, fewer than 10 are Iraqis, the rest are Iranians.”

Videos circulating on social media showed debris scattered over a large area along the main highway linking Baghdad to the main southern port city of Basra.

“There are completely charred corpses at the scene,” said Radhi, who added that at least 20 wounded were transferred to nearby hospitals.

The Joint Operations Command in Baghdad issued a statement saying the truck was packed with 500 litres of ammonium nitrate, a chemical compound used in many explosive devices.

Diversionary attacks
Up to 20 million people visited Karbala, home to the mausoleum of Hazrat Imam Hussein (RA), for Arbaeen this year. According to the Iraqi authorities, around three million of them were Iranians.

Iraq had deployed around 25,000 members of the security forces in and around the shrine city, which lies southwest of Baghdad, to protect the pilgrims from a feared IS attack.

The militant group, which is losing ground in Mosul, has carried out a series of high-profile diversionary attacks since Iraqi forces launched a huge offensive against their northern stronghold last month.

Elite forces battled IS militants in eastern Mosul Thursday, looking for fresh momentum in their five-week-old offensive to retake Iraq's second city.

Maan al-Saadi, a commander with the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), told AFP on the front line in Mosul that his forces were fighting IS in the neighbourhood of Al-Khadraa.

“They cannot flee. They have two choices -- give up or die,” he said.

Over the past few days, Iraqi forces have cut off the main supply line running from Mosul to the western border with Syria, where IS still controls the city of Raqqa.

The US-led coalition also bombed bridges over the Tigris river that splits Mosul in two, reducing the militants' ability to resupply the eastern front.

“The Iraqi advance on the south and southeast of the city has started to pick up some steam, which we think is a really great development,” coalition spokesman Colonel John Dorrian said.

'Brutal' fighting
“It is extraordinarily tough fighting, just brutal, but there is an inevitability to it. The Iraqis are going to beat them,” he told AFP.

IS fighters moving in an intricate network of tunnels have used snipers, booby traps and a seemingly endless supply of suicide car bombers to stop Iraqi forces.

The authorities have not released casualty figures since the start of the offensive but fighters have admitted being surprised by how fierce IS resistance has been.

Iraqi forces launched a major offensive on October 17 to retake Mosul, where militant supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed a caliphate in 2014.

They are also edging towards the city from a northern front as well as from the south, where they are within striking distance of Mosul airport.

Among the forces deployed south and west of the city are the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation), an umbrella for paramilitaries dominated by Tehran-backed militias.

They have focused their operations on Tal Afar, a large town still held by IS west of Mosul and on Wednesday announced they had cut the main road between it and Syria.

That will make it very long and dangerous for IS if it attempts to move fighters and equipment between Mosul and Raqa, the last two bastions of their crumbling “state”.

The International Organisation for Migration said Thursday that around 76,000 people had been displaced since October 17.

It said that about 7,000 people had already returned to their homes, leaving roughly 69,000 still displaced, most of them in camps.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1298391/at-least-70-pilgrims-killed-by-islamic-state-truck-bomb-in-iraq

Yet Iraq refuses to let anyone fight ISIS except them...

 

[Serpentine]

Yet Iraq refuses to let anyone fight ISIS except them...

Iraq doesn't need ground troops to fight ISIS. However, when a portion of your population are either ISIS members or sympathizers, it's not easy to control terrorists in every single spot.

Few days ago, 20 Egyptian soldiers were killed by ISIS in Sinai, does that mean Egypt should allow foreign soldiers to fight its war?

 

[EgyptianAmerican]

Few days ago, 20 Egyptian soldiers were killed by ISIS in Sinai, does that mean Egypt should allow foreign soldiers to fight its war?

If they were Jordanians or Saudis then Yes.

Iraq doesn't need ground troops to fight ISIS. However, when a portion of your population are either ISIS members or sympathizers, it's not easy to control terrorists in every single spot.

Turkish troops are well trained,well equipped and are quite capable. Where is this nonexistent pride that Iraq is pretending to have?

They were invaded and destroyed by the west, might as well ask for some help.

 

[Serpentine]

If they were Jordanians or Saudis then Yes.

Are you suggesting that Egyptian army has a shortage of manpower, equipment or it is incompetent enough to need assist from Jordan or Saudi Arabia (which itself is stuck in Yemen)? Then there is no argument.

Turkish troops are well trained,well equipped and are quite capable. Where is this nonexistent pride that Iraq is pretending to have?

They were invaded and destroyed by the west, might as well ask for some help.

And you think Turkey will simply sacrifice lives of its soldiers for urban warfare of Mosul and other cities and go out of Iraq simply like nothing happened? It doesn't work like that, there is a price for everything. Iraq's army is currently doing fine cleansing Mosul from ISIS slowly but steadily. They don't need additional manpower. They said they didn't need Iran's ground assist, neither Turkey's and also US and they are doing just fine.

 

[jha]

1/4 of the world's Shias live in India if not more and at least half of them claim Arab ancestry, lol. However in reality they are low caste converts.

You are right. India is one of only few places, where Shias have been historically and still are free to practice and propagate their faith. Muharram is a big festival here and we ensure that no evil force can do any harm during Tajiyas. Must be an eyesore for Shia-haters, but thats how it is and thats how it will be. ISIS and other wannabes can $crew themselves.

OT : What a sad tragedy.Rest in peace brothers. This is one sided genocide.

 

[f1000n]

Turkish troops are well trained,well equipped and are quite capable. Where is this nonexistent pride that Iraq is pretending to have?

They were invaded and destroyed by the west, might as well ask for some help.

Iran offered Iraq use of its ground troops yet Iraq denied. Iraq lacks equipment not manpower. The ISF is conducting operations with very little tanks and artillery which is the reason why operations are taking a while.

 

[EgyptianAmerican]

Are you suggesting that Egyptian army has a shortage of manpower, equipment or it is incompetent enough to need assist from Jordan or Saudi Arabia (which itself is stuck in Yemen)? Then there is no argument.

No you asked if Egypt would be fine if people were to help them crush ISIS in Sinai. I said yes, I never said that Egypt was never capable.

And you think Turkey will simply sacrifice lives of its soldiers for urban warfare of Mosul and other cities and go out of Iraq simply like nothing happened? It doesn't work like that, there is a price for everything. Iraq's army is currently doing fine cleansing Mosul from ISIS slowly but steadily. They don't need additional manpower. They said they didn't need Iran's ground assist, neither Turkey's and also US and they are doing just fine.

If Turkey wanted to stay then what's the problem? Would they not help if another situation arises?

Iran offered Iraq use of its ground troops yet Iraq denied. Iraq lacks equipment not manpower. The ISF is conducting operations with very little tanks and artillery which is the reason why operations are taking a while.

What's wrong with Turkey helping out too? Are they too Sunni for you?

 

[Islamic faith&Secularism]

This is one sided genocide.

Let's see How UN approaches to the situation in Syria:

-“The Security Council expresses grave alarm that the Syrian crisis has become the largest humanitarian emergency crisis in the world today, threatening peace and security in the region, and that at least 250,000 have been killed, including well over 10,000 children, and 12 million people have been forced to flee their homes, including over 4 million who have sought refuge in neighbouring countries, and more than 12.2 million people in Syria require urgent humanitarian assistance. ''

http://www.un.org/press/en/2015/sc12008.doc.htm


After your guess who is worse, Will you tell me again who is genocider based on statistics and facts?

Will you please tell me what the difference between Assad and ISIS is?

 

[alarabi]

Iran has 3 kinds of pilgrims
1- those who go to fight as pilgrims in Syria, then they get killed.
2- those who go to Iraq to beat their bodies by chains and knifes, then they get killed.
3- those who go to bomb some tunnels in Mecca as pilgrims, then they get killed.

All these three kinds are brutal and non is peaceful! interesting fact.

 

[Malik Alashter]

Iran has 3 kinds of pilgrims
1- those who go to fight as pilgrims in Syria, then they get killed.
2- those who go to Iraq to beat their bodies by chains and knifes, then they get killed.
3- those who go to bomb some tunnels in Mecca as pilgrims, then they get killed.

All these three kinds are brutal and non is peaceful! interesting fact.

These people that you happy got martyred in Iraq these same people destroyed your beloved Umayyad dynasty the same people ruled abbaseid dynasty for almost over a century so I think they will wipe out your Wahhabi dynasty too may be that come soon.

Hey your pigs wahhabis got slaughtered in Iraq.

Soon uncle sam will get tired of you then trust me nothing will save you at all Mr genocide.

Thanks to Baba England. Let us not kid ourselves. Had it not been for Baba England those same traitors would still be sitting in Kuwait and Nomad land crying and plotting without any success. Al Rasheed and king of Hijaz used to deal with them very nicely.

sounds very right.

one pakistanis mods here think me some sectarian but he can see these sand lizards lke this @Al-Andalus and @alarabi Spews venom in this very forum.

 

[alarabi]

These people that you happy got martyred in Iraq these same people destroyed your beloved Umayyad dynasty the same people ruled abbaseid dynasty for almost over a century so I think they will wipe out your Wahhabi dynasty too may be that come soon.

Hey your pigs wahhabis got slaughtered in Iraq.

Soon uncle sam will get tired of you then trust me nothing will save you at all Mr genocide.

Anyway I have no respect for slaves of Iranian Mullah, get your freedom first and have some dignity then come here to preach about honor and victories.

 

[Malik Alashter]

Anyway I have no respect for slaves of Iranian Mullah, get your freedom first and have some dignity then come here to preach about honor and victories.

Well Honestly I have no respect to nomadic people and culture of of prehistoric so go get civilized then come talk about nation with the greatest history and Cultural heritage.
Unfortunately those who lack honor and dignity always talk about them simply they lack them.

 

[f1000n]

What's wrong with Turkey helping out too? Are they too Sunni for you?

Iraq has military cooperation with Jordan, Egypt and Pakistan (Sunnis right?).. Seems like you're very unaware of the political situation.

Turkey is not friendly to Iraq they're hostile to the point where they trained a force that does not respond to Iraq's chain of command, basically they want to repeat the Syrian FSA scenario in Iraq and make an Iraqi FSA. They hosted Tareq al Hashimi the politician that praised the IS takeover of 2014 and called it a revolution.

I can go on and on but what does it matter, you're unaware of the most basic situation about this. Iran offered ground troops back in 2014 when the situation was very bad, Iraq denied. Turkey 'offers' when ISIS is being defeated and they're not trying to help they're trying to carve Nineveh out of Iraq, well we say no to that and as you can see they can't do much about it.

 

[EgyptianAmerican]

Iraq has military cooperation with Jordan and Egypt (Sunnis right?).. Seems like you're very unaware of the political situation.

I know this that is why I say too, What I am asking is why is Turkey bad for Iraq?

Do you lack basic english skills?

Turkey is not friendly to Iraq they're hostile to the point where they trained a force that does not respond to Iraq's chain of command, basically they want to repeat the Syrian FSA scenario in Iraq and make an Iraqi FSA. They hosted Tareq al Hashimi the politician that praised the IS takeover of 2014 and called it a revolution.

Everyone in Iraq thought that IS was a revolution even the Yazidis and Iraqi Christians because they were sick of the persecution under your sectarian Maliki regime.


What is wrong with Turkey using their forces to fight IS?