The sheraton and Palestinian hotels in the centre of Baghdad attacked and have been blown. Supposed to be the biggest attack to date. Heavy shooting going on.
Re: Breaking News: 3 Massive bombs in the centre of Baghdad
Blasts shake Baghdad hotel area
Three powerful explosions have killed at least 17 people outside Baghdad hotels used by foreign media and contractors, police have said.
Suicide bombers are believed to have driven vehicles into barriers outside the Palestine and Sheraton hotels where the attacks were caught on camera.
A BBC correspondent says the bombers appear to have chosen the hotels to ensure maximum publicity.
The blasts come amid speculation the poll on the constitution may fail.
One source told AFP news agency the dead were mainly security guards, hotel employees and passers-by. At least nine people were injured.
UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw condemned the attackers as “terrorists who really don’t mind who they kill, provided they kill somebody in the name of a totally perverted ideology”.
**Prime targets **
Police said the co-ordinated attacks were carried out by three suicide vehicle bombers and happened inside a matter of minutes.
The second massive blast was followed by bursts of gunfire.
But the third blast was the most dramatic, our correspondent says: a vast flash of orange, followed by an enormous explosion which sent a massive cloud into the sky, shook buildings and scattered debris far around.
The attacks occurred just before sunset when Muslims break their fast during their holy month of Ramadan and many Baghdad residents were on their way home to eat.
The two hotels make natural targets for the insurgents as they are used by foreign contractors and journalists, says the BBC’s defence correspondent, Rob Watson.
Anxious to hamper the rebuilding of Iraq, the insurgency has long targeted foreign contractors to drive them out of the country.
Targeting hotels used by foreign journalists also fits in with the insurgents’ desire for publicity.
The insurgents are well aware that, with so many bombs every day, it takes something spectacular to gain the attention of the international media, our defence correspondent says.
read on:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4370922.stm
Re: Breaking News: 3 Massive bombs in the centre of Baghdad
When will the stupidity stop?
Re: Breaking News: 3 Massive bombs in the centre of Baghdad
tsk tsk, so sad. May Allah swt have mercy on the dead ones and guide the culprits/planners.
Re: Breaking News: 3 Massive bombs in the centre of Baghdad
Obviously the terrorist Yanks planting bombs yet again :nono:
Re: Breaking News: 3 Massive bombs in the centre of Baghdad
^ is it really that obvious ak?
Re: Breaking News: 3 Massive bombs in the centre of Baghdad
yeah true…of course it cannot be Iraqis…they are too innocent to do that
Re: Breaking News: 3 Massive bombs in the centre of Baghdad
no.. Iraqis target the US Army.. they have nothing to gain by targeting Iraqi civilians or reporters who are the only way for the resistance to get their progress known to the world... why would they want the journalist's gone?
Re: Breaking News: 3 Massive bombs in the centre of Baghdad
No, of course they don’t. Everything the ‘insurgency’ has done has been smart, on-the-money, altruistic and has furthered their progress and that of Iraq. 
You live in a fantasy land.
Re: Breaking News: 3 Massive bombs in the centre of Baghdad
Good job Al-CIAda :k:
Re: Breaking News: 3 Massive bombs in the centre of Baghdad
Well,
Iraq will simply be ruled by the most evil. Despite an opportunity to do better, the Iraqis have not siezed the moment. Break the thing up into three countries, and let them fight about the borders. Let's all watch as the Sunni territory becomes the cesspool of the world, with horrors one can only imagine.
Now that will render some good images for Islam....
Re: Breaking News: 3 Massive bombs in the centre of Baghdad
Ohioguy, don't spill someone's beans already, CIA will be looking for you soon.
Re: Breaking News: 3 Massive bombs in the centre of Baghdad
So this is your solution for US to get out of this mess. Divide the country in to 3 parts and let them fight each other while US can withdraw with its tail between its legs.
Re: Breaking News: 3 Massive bombs in the centre of Baghdad
^^ Hey genius, look around, Iraq is already divided into three parts. We are in the business of trying to push it back together. The Kurds have already reclaimed much of the land they lost during Saddams' "arabization" campaign, which ethnicly cleansed Kirkuk and other areas of the Kurds. Kirkuk has planty of oil. The Shia have plenty of oil in the South. A break up will render the Sunnis with very little oil wealth, and a large population, largely in the desert, with very little farm land. Screw 'em, they get what they deserve.
I would rather have a 2/3rds solution that works than a 100% failure. Leave the Sunnis to their own devices, it will look like Afghanistan all over again.
Undoubtedly the Kurds and the Shia will be attacked repeatedly. Let them have their revenge the Iraqi way. Can you imagine the attrocities? The only thing the US is really accomplishing is having enough force available to deter a wholesale slaughter, if we go away, either we will have to be repalced, or a final civil war will occur. It seems to be what every Iraqi really wants. The only good news is that some of the Sunnis apparently took to the polls and voted. They voted against the constitution, but they voted. Their involvement in the political process is actual tangible progress.
Re: Breaking News: 3 Massive bombs in the centre of Baghdad
ohioguy, that is the worst case scenerio for the "greater middle east" scenerio that our president promised. what happened to the iraq will be a beacon of democracy for the rest of the middle east talk?? reality is kicking in finally - i see.
if we go away, either we will have to be repalced, or a final civil war will occur. It seems to be what every Iraqi really wants.
hundreds of thousands of people killed by saddam and now by this war... makes u wonder what was the point of creating this war in the first place. you saying US did not understand the iraqi mindset when they thought all iraqies wanted a US invasion... what makes you think we really understand iraqi mindset now?
wake up smell the coffee... every arab wants a bullet in americans head due to our support of israel. a few greedy ones might be nice to you on your face but they will come back and stab you in the back. there is a reason why even with billions of petro dollars in that area remains the most uneducated undemocratic sh(i)thole and it will remain like that with or without US. its partly the rulers that have been ruling there and mostly just the culture of the people of that region.
Re: Breaking News: 3 Massive bombs in the centre of Baghdad
Oh so now it’s the US who is trying to keep the country in one piece? Situation start deteriorating since the US invasion. So US is the real reason for all this mess. If my memory serves Iraq was still in one piece when Saddam was on power.