Car Bomb Kills 33 In Iraq

In a very sad story coming out of Iraq, a suicide car bomb killed 33 people in Iraq on Sunday, a security official said, hours before U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Baghdad to assess recent security gains and discuss troop levels. The bomber struck a checkpoint outside a crowded market near the town of Balad in the country's north, said Colonel Hamadi Atshan, a spokesman for Iraqi security forces in the area.

The checkpoint was run by Sunni Arab volunteers who have joined U.S. forces to fight al Qaeda, Atshan said, adding women and children were among those killed in one of the worst attacks in Iraq this year. The U.S. military put the death toll at 23.

It seems probable that the insurgents knew of this trip, and decided to give Secretary Gates a big, bloody welcome. This may not bode well for what will happen once troops are drawn down, as security will again have large open gaps. So Sad for the Iraqi's, and for our Troops!!


car bomb