Monday, February 28, 2005
another bad case of ''i hate mondays'' today...
I didn't know, though, that Saddam had a half-brother in Syria... This is sounding like Dynasty, Hot Shots Part Trois and M*A*S*H all rolled into one, more and more with each passing day...
That is, if real lives were not being lost in profusion like this.
Newsflash folks: it is NOT just American soldiers either...
Yet, I would be remiss if I did not mention that, despite the seriousness and gravity of the matter, the bomb that killed over one hundred today in Iraq - in direct retaliation to the capture and handing over of Saddam's half-bro - proves one thing... alas... one thing among other far more serious things that is... that one Vincent Kennedy McMahon still has some flair for a good ''story''... He chose to name his latest and most controversial ''rasslin superstar'' Muhammad Hassan... and Saddam's half-bro happens to be named Al-Hassan...!
Shades of Carter the Magician - who chose the name because it was the same name as that of his contemporary, the egyptologist who had unearthed Tutankhamen's treasures...
A coup de maître that translated itself into a resounding success on stage, as Carter -the Magician- toured theaters with his loosely thematic show (he had a mummy on stage... other than that, he did the usual tricks I do believe...).
But I digress... Blessings! :)
That is, if real lives were not being lost in profusion like this.
Newsflash folks: it is NOT just American soldiers either...
Yet, I would be remiss if I did not mention that, despite the seriousness and gravity of the matter, the bomb that killed over one hundred today in Iraq - in direct retaliation to the capture and handing over of Saddam's half-bro - proves one thing... alas... one thing among other far more serious things that is... that one Vincent Kennedy McMahon still has some flair for a good ''story''... He chose to name his latest and most controversial ''rasslin superstar'' Muhammad Hassan... and Saddam's half-bro happens to be named Al-Hassan...!
Shades of Carter the Magician - who chose the name because it was the same name as that of his contemporary, the egyptologist who had unearthed Tutankhamen's treasures...
A coup de maître that translated itself into a resounding success on stage, as Carter -the Magician- toured theaters with his loosely thematic show (he had a mummy on stage... other than that, he did the usual tricks I do believe...).
But I digress... Blessings! :)
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At least 115 killed in Iraq suicide bombing
CTV.ca News Staff
At least 115 people were killed and 132 were injured south of Baghdad Monday, in the single deadliest attack since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
The attack happened in Hilla, about 95 kilometres south of Baghdad. Witnesses said the bomber targeted jobseekers lined up outside a government building for health certificates needed to apply for government jobs.
Dozens of bodies could be seen lying on the ground after the blast, which also damaged nearby shops and parked cars.
Many of those killed where shoppers at stalls across the road, Reuters reported. Their mangled corpses lay on wooden carts used to carry fruit and vegetables.
The statement from the Babil province police said "several people" were arrested, but did not elaborate.
Muhsin Hadi, 29, said he was lucky because he was at the back of the line when the blast was detonated, and only suffered a broken leg.
"Suddenly there was panic, and many frightened people stepped on me. I lost consciousness and the next thing I was aware of was being in the hospital," Hadi said, The Associated Press reported.
This is the single deadliest attack since August 2003, when a car bomb killed more than 85 people outside a mosque in Najaf.
The only other day with a higher death toll was March 4, 2003, when a series of suicide bombings in Baghdad and Kerbala killed 181 people and injured 573.
Key suspect captured
The deadly attack comes one day after Iraqi officials announced the capture of Hussein's half-brother, Sabawi Ibrahim Al-Hassan.
Al-Hassan was reportedly captured in Syria and handed over to Iraq officials, along with 29 members of the former Baath regime.
He is No. 36 on the U.S. military's list of 55 most-wanted Iraqis, and there had been a $1-million bounty on his head.
Al-Hassan was the head of the General Security Directorate under Hussein. The department was responsible for cracking down on political opponents, and al-Hassan was accused of using torture to do so. He later became the presidential adviser.
His capture by Syria could represent a shift by Damascus, which has been under increasing pressure to remove its troops from Lebanon, and drop its support for radical groups in the Middle East.
Lebanese opposition blames Syria for the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik al-Hariri in Beirut nearly two weeks ago, and Iraq's government has accused it of abetting militants. Damascus denies all allegations.
In other developments:
Five members of Hussein's former regime, including another half-brother by the name of Barzan Ibrahim al-Hassan al-Tikriti, are set to go on trial for crimes against humanity, a special tribunal said Monday
A second car bomb exploded Monday at a police checkpoint in Musayyib, about 30 kilometres north of Hillah. At least one policeman was killed and several others were wounded
The U.S. military is investigating the death of a U.S. soldier, who was reportedly shot while manning a checkpoint in Baghdad on Sunday
Police found three unidentified corpses in al-Mashahda, 40 km north of Baghdad. Their hands were tied behind their backs with plastic cuffs
With files from The Associated Press
CTV.ca News Staff
At least 115 people were killed and 132 were injured south of Baghdad Monday, in the single deadliest attack since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
The attack happened in Hilla, about 95 kilometres south of Baghdad. Witnesses said the bomber targeted jobseekers lined up outside a government building for health certificates needed to apply for government jobs.
Dozens of bodies could be seen lying on the ground after the blast, which also damaged nearby shops and parked cars.
Many of those killed where shoppers at stalls across the road, Reuters reported. Their mangled corpses lay on wooden carts used to carry fruit and vegetables.
The statement from the Babil province police said "several people" were arrested, but did not elaborate.
Muhsin Hadi, 29, said he was lucky because he was at the back of the line when the blast was detonated, and only suffered a broken leg.
"Suddenly there was panic, and many frightened people stepped on me. I lost consciousness and the next thing I was aware of was being in the hospital," Hadi said, The Associated Press reported.
This is the single deadliest attack since August 2003, when a car bomb killed more than 85 people outside a mosque in Najaf.
The only other day with a higher death toll was March 4, 2003, when a series of suicide bombings in Baghdad and Kerbala killed 181 people and injured 573.
Key suspect captured
The deadly attack comes one day after Iraqi officials announced the capture of Hussein's half-brother, Sabawi Ibrahim Al-Hassan.
Al-Hassan was reportedly captured in Syria and handed over to Iraq officials, along with 29 members of the former Baath regime.
He is No. 36 on the U.S. military's list of 55 most-wanted Iraqis, and there had been a $1-million bounty on his head.
Al-Hassan was the head of the General Security Directorate under Hussein. The department was responsible for cracking down on political opponents, and al-Hassan was accused of using torture to do so. He later became the presidential adviser.
His capture by Syria could represent a shift by Damascus, which has been under increasing pressure to remove its troops from Lebanon, and drop its support for radical groups in the Middle East.
Lebanese opposition blames Syria for the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik al-Hariri in Beirut nearly two weeks ago, and Iraq's government has accused it of abetting militants. Damascus denies all allegations.
In other developments:
Five members of Hussein's former regime, including another half-brother by the name of Barzan Ibrahim al-Hassan al-Tikriti, are set to go on trial for crimes against humanity, a special tribunal said Monday
A second car bomb exploded Monday at a police checkpoint in Musayyib, about 30 kilometres north of Hillah. At least one policeman was killed and several others were wounded
The U.S. military is investigating the death of a U.S. soldier, who was reportedly shot while manning a checkpoint in Baghdad on Sunday
Police found three unidentified corpses in al-Mashahda, 40 km north of Baghdad. Their hands were tied behind their backs with plastic cuffs
With files from The Associated Press
Oops - spoke too soon there - McMahon dropped the ball by having his Hassan lose (ending his unbeaten streak..!) via disqualification (and because of a low blow, of all things... how humiliating...!) in a botched-up finish to a match pitting him to... a Canadian to boot! (Of course it didn't help at all that the two messed up their staged choreography either...).
Too bad Vinnie Mac - you missed an opportunity the likes of which a mere stage illusionist from the 30s certainly did NOT... I guess that YOU are no magician after all... eh?
The U.S. military DID get a visit from ''WWE superstars'' not too long ago (in the holiday season, I am sure...). I wonder if the poor guy who was reportedly shot while manning a checkpoint in Baghdad on Sunday was among those troops that got to see the McMahon Circus come to town... Doubtful that his last thoughts were of that not-so memorable ''event'' when he was shot in the back, as he likely was... Extremely doubtful that anyone would die with their last thoughts being something along these lines - ''I'm dying - but I can go in peace... cause, at least, I saw Lita, JBL and Trish Stratus LIVE... and in ''action''...''
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Too bad Vinnie Mac - you missed an opportunity the likes of which a mere stage illusionist from the 30s certainly did NOT... I guess that YOU are no magician after all... eh?
The U.S. military DID get a visit from ''WWE superstars'' not too long ago (in the holiday season, I am sure...). I wonder if the poor guy who was reportedly shot while manning a checkpoint in Baghdad on Sunday was among those troops that got to see the McMahon Circus come to town... Doubtful that his last thoughts were of that not-so memorable ''event'' when he was shot in the back, as he likely was... Extremely doubtful that anyone would die with their last thoughts being something along these lines - ''I'm dying - but I can go in peace... cause, at least, I saw Lita, JBL and Trish Stratus LIVE... and in ''action''...''
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