Iraq - Car Bombs in Baghdad kill at least 127 and 448 wounded

The gift that keeps on giving.

Update:

Baghdad Car Bombs Kill at Least 127, Wound 448

A long time will pass before and if Iraq ever gets a handle on its own, and the same is true for much of the region.

Ron Jacobs
The Baghdad Bombings

At least one hundred dead in a series of bombings across Baghdad on December 8, 2009.  These were preceded by other bombings in the weeks before.   One such attack killed the US-sponsored Baghdad regime's counter-terrorism czar, while another series of attacks in October outside that regimes offices killed over 150.  Like most of the rest of the bombings in Iraq in 2009, the bombers remain a mystery, although the government has blamed Baathists for the October attacks and some US officials speculate whether or not some of the others should be attributed to their favorite bogeyman--Al Qaida in Iraq. Unlike many of the attacks during the heat of the conflict in Iraq, many of these recent attacks are targeting heavily defended government agencies.

If these attacks are the work of the Iraqi insurgency and one places these bombings in the framework of the rest of the conflict in Iraq, they seem to symbolize a resurgence of the insurgency.  If one further considers the nature of guerrilla war, these spectacular attacks represent a new phase in the insurgents war against the government.  Most western commentators agree that, as elections approach, the insurgency will step up its attacks, supposedly to frighten potential voters, but also to show the essential weakness of the regime.  If previous responses to insurgent violence are any indication, this means that the recent loosening of certain security precautions will be reversed.  Indeed, Prime Minister al-Maliki said as much after a series of bombings on August 19, 2009: "These attacks represent a reaction to the opening of streets and bridges and the lifting of barriers inside the residential areas....(and) require us (the regime) to re-evaluate our plans and security mechanisms in order to confront the terrorist challenges and to increase cooperation between security forces and the Iraqi people."  In other words, look out if you are a Sunni or identified as anybody but a supporter of the US occupation and its client regime.

Thanks for this. The latest death toll is estimated at 127 people.

Slowing the withdrawal from Iraq can impact the buildup in Afghanistan.  This could be the Taliban or Al Qaeda stratedgy to effect the number of military available for redeployment from Iraq to Afghanistan.  Also, in order to justify the insurgency in Afghanistan Washington has used the effectiveness of counter insurgency in Iraq.  This could be a response in retaliation to the comfort level of the success in Iraq meant to demoralize not only the military but American and world opinion.   These wars continue based on opinion and are fragile.

All we can do is pray for their safety and hope the decision that has been made is the correct one.

There will be more casualties, Admiral Mullen's words, as a result of the surge.  I hope America is prepared for this eventuality.

853 US casualties in Afghanistan and 4370 in Iraq as of 10 am this morning:

DoD Casualty Report

Are they all going to the islamic 'Paradise'? martyrs for 'allah'?

Baghdad Bombings Take Annual Toll to 1,243 in Iraq's Capital Alone

Maliki Blames Ba'athists, Al-Qaeda for Blasts

Thank you for providing that link snuffy.  I've highlighted the estimate of civilians killed according to media reports.

A Day of Bombings: Washington — The Underlying Factor

by Ron Jacobs / December 9th, 2009 (0)

At least one hundred dead in a series of bombings across Baghdad on December 8, 2009. These were preceded by other bombings in the weeks before. One such attack killed the US-sponsored Baghdad regime’s counter-terrorism czar, while another series of attacks in October outside that regimes offices killed over 150. Like most of the rest of the bombings in Iraq in 2009, the bombers remain a mystery, although the government has blamed Baathists for the October attacks and some US officials speculate whether or not some of the others should be attributed to their favorite bogeyman–Al …
(Full article …)
http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/12/a-day-of-bombings-washington-the-underlying-factor/