So much violence. So many people so poorly protected.
According to this BBC article:
The government described it as a failed bid to assassinate the prominent head of the Wolf Brigade commando unit, Abul Waleed, who escaped the blast unhurt.
Anyone who has even remotely followed the patterns of violence in Iraq since the beginning of this illegal war has seen story after story about attacks on Iraqi police and recruits. Time and time again, I have wondered out loud why these people are not better protected since they are such obvious targets. I don’t have the answer to that question and I doubt any of you do either, but I stand strong in believing that the so-called coalition forces are not taking this seriously.
Some say that it’s impossible to protect against suicide bombers and, in so many instances, that is the truth. But, the fact that a suicide bomber could “slip into the base along with the morning shift”, even given that he was a former commando, shows that Iraqi police headquarters security is obviously lacking. While Rumsfeld et al keep reminding the world that they want Iraqis to take care of their own security, his defense department is not exactly helping much in the transition.
The head of the brigade and target of the assassination is a man who should have had better protection:
The Iraqi version of “COPS”?
In other news from Iraq:
An Iraqi police officer in the city said that the two were security guards who were killed by mistake.
Just great. As if there isn’t enough animosity towards the Iraqi police…
And:
Seven men, three women and a child were killed, a police source said.
There is no end in sight…
Two cars pulled up and militants inside opened fire on the bus, which was coming from the town of Jbala, 70km (45 miles) south of the capital, police said.
Another three workers were injured in the attack, Reuters news agency reports.
And, if that’s not enough, check out this heartbreaking story on CNN’s site about patients fleeing a hospital in Tal Afar, described as the “the most dangerous area in Iraq now.”
A car bomb near the Slovak embassy on Saturday also wounded four people.
Such a horribly mismanaged war lies at the feet of Donald Rumsfeld and George W Bush. May the troops stay safe and may this end as soon as is humanly possible.
Is the American public even paying attention anymore?