Friday, Mar. 19, 2010
August 2009
Rising Violence
"The whole thing is just so disgusting ... They're just psychopathic."
—U.S. ambassador to Iraq Christopher Hill, as he read reports from embassy staff about damage after truck bombs go off in central Baghdad.
On August 19 two car bombs hit Iraq's Finance and Foreign Ministries. The "Bloody Wednesday" attacks in central Baghdad kill at least 122 and injure more than 500. The explosions come after several turbulent weeks in Iraq — in the first 10 days of August, violent acts throughout the country killed 157 people. The August bombings, which are the worst since U.S. troops withdrew from Iraqi cities on June 30, raise questions of Iraq's ability to handle security on its own.