Another bomb explosion strikes Iraq killing 8 American soldiers and 15 civilians in the Shiite area of Baghdad. Will the bloodshed ever stop?
A bomb explosion ripped apart near a mini bus crowded with commuters in Shiite area of Baladiyat, a stronghold of the Mahdi Army of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr that is fighting against the U.S. led NATO forces ever since they invaded Iraq. In doing so, it has seized control of public buildings and police stations in many parts of the country. Also known for its close links with Iran that supplies it with arms, ammunition and training facilities, the Mahdi Army is particulalry behind major offensives against the coalition forces in Iraq that has already claimed many lives of both the army and the civilians.
The violence that started from sectarian differences seems to have taken the form of gaining control of oil-rich regions in southern parts of the country. More so, clashes inside one’s own community have become a daily news maker. Despite restoation of a people’s government led by Prime Minister Al Maliki, Iraq is a sad picture of violence, bloodhsed, bomb blasts and deaths.
Even as rumors of U.S. withdrawl of troops from next year roared louder, the situation in the country mirred in war and violence would give another chance to the Bush regime in the U.S. to step aback from its initial commitments. The burden of war and violence has been mostly borne by common Iraqis, who are the most vulnerable section of the country.
The unending violence, sectarian strife and terror blots are not only compounding problems of people there, but also sabotaging each and every attempt to kill the peace and annihilate the nascent democratic process.
Source: Washington Post
