Mick Hartley

Mohammed at Iraq the Model, on the explosion at al-Sadriya market:

Al-Sadriya doesn’t belong to a certain sect; it’s a commercial area where shoppers and shopkeepers are simply Baghdadis but sadly the media is keen on adding sectarian descriptions of the attacked targets in their reports. These descriptions draw the path for blind retaliators who in this case shortly responded by showering what the media calls “predominantly Sunni neighborhoods” with mortars to kill and wound dozens.

I can swear none of the victims in these attacks had any connection to the fighting among the rivals; like Amir Taheri said the other day [see below – MH], this is not a sectarian war but a war of the sectarians; fanatics and extremists start the fight but innocents who never thought of carrying arms to kill people of other faiths are paying the heavier price.

First they attacked universities and schools, and now marketplaces and I don’t know what’s going to be next on their list. You can’t predict what power maniacs and insane terrorists are planning for.

The security plan isn’t at work yet and Baghdad is receiving heavy blows. This is not unexpected because the enemies recognize what Baghdad means to the outcome of this war. Life and stability in this city will mean defeat for terrorists of all backgrounds and they feel they must fight hard to stop this from happening.