More than 50 die in Iraq, 22 in bombing

[maddezmom]

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Syria's foreign minister arrived in Baghdad on Sunday, the highest ranking official from his country to visit since the U.S.-led war began in 2003, at a time when Syria is increasingly seen as key to helping stem the insurgency.

The sectarian violence continued Sunday, with the deadliest attack in the southern Shiite city of Hillah, where a suicide bomber in a minivan lured day laborers to his vehicle with promises of a job then blew it up, killing 22 people, police said.

Both the Iraqi government and its U.S. sponsors have repeatedly accused Syria of allowing foreign fighters to cross into Iraq. Syria denies the charge, saying it is impossible to control the long desert border.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem's visit, his first since the ouster of Saddam Hussein, is a major step toward restoring diplomatic relations severed more than a quarter-century ago. He was to meet with the Iraqi leadership, including Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061119/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[angstlessk]

1. But we know the vilolence is all about effecting the outcome of the elections

...wait..the elections are over? Wonder why they are killing people now?

[u2spirit]

2. If we leave there will be chaos

:sarcasm:

[Supply Side Jesus]

3. No Civil War to see here

move one. nothing to see here

[ECH1969]

4. Suicide bomber kills Sunni, Shiite day laborers

The man in a dark-green minibus appeared like a godsend to the dozens of Iraqi day laborers who gathered early Sunday in this dusty town near the remains of ancient Babylon. Introducing himself as a contractor with lucrative construction jobs, he drew swarms of desperate workmen who elbowed one another to be the first to sign up.

Just as they closed in on the bus, the man detonated powerful explosives that shredded the crowd of workers, killing at least 21. The toll is expected to rise from critical cases among the 47 injured, Hillah police and hospital workers said Sunday.

Iraqi security forces rounded up more than 20 suspects attack in a raid on a farmhouse about four miles from the blast site, Hillah Police spokesman Capt. Muthanna Ahmed said late Sunday night. Ahmed said three of those arrested - two Egyptians and an Iraqi - told interrogators that the suicide bomber was a Syrian.

Residents of Hillah, as they claimed dead relatives and nursed shrapnel wounds, tried in vain to figure out why their city's poorest had been targeted. Survivors and witnesses said the victims included both Sunni and Shiite Muslim workers vying for the same offers of low-paying manual labor. "What offense have we committed? Are we spies for the Americans? Are we National Guardsmen or police? Why are they targeting poor, confused people just trying to survive this difficult life?"

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/world/16054067.htm

[ECH1969]

5. I don't understand the allure of suicide bombing civilians

or the point of it.

[ECH1969]

6. BTTT