Female suicide bomber kills 40 in Iraq

Randy Williams
Feb. 14, 2009
10:04pm

On Friday, forty people died from a suicide bomber. The attack took place a little south of Baghdad. The victims were a tent filled with women and children resting during a pilgrimage In all the suicide bomber killed 40 people and wounded about 80 in the attack. This was the deadliest of three straight days of attacks against Shiite worshippers. Not only was this attack the deadliest of this last three days, it is also the deadliest in Iraq this year. This attack represents the determination of extremists. They want to continue the sectarian warfare that has plagued this country. Also this proves how fragile the Iraqi security force is and how unstable things still can be. At this point the United States military is trying to turn more responsibly over to the Iraqi security and police.
Many of the injured were hurt in a stampede after the blast. The survivors trying to get away from the tents left behind everything in the moment of terror. Things left behind include: piles of clothing, small rugs, and toddlers strollers. Also found at the scene was a dismembered leg, which is believed to be from the female bomber. "It was a horrific scene with dead and screaming injured people on the ground," said Sadiya Kadom, a Baghdad resident.
No group has claimed responsibility of the attack yet. Although, suicide bombings against Shiite civilians are the signature attack of al-Qaida.
There is no way to prevent attacks like this one. I feel for the people who were killed or injured during this event. People that are killed during combat is one thing to look at as a misfortune. During a combat situation military forces on both sides are fighting against each other. A suicide bomber that takes his or her own life just to kill only civilians is a completely different level. Nothing good can come out of an event like this. There is no battle to be won. The only reason to even think of an attack such as this one is to cause harm and nothing else. Attacks like this are why it has taken so long to try and liberate this country. Suicide bombers hide in the crowd and there is no way to distinguish them from mercenaries. For this reason, I hate when people complain about civilian deaths during battle. How can you tell them apart….you cant.