Car bomb explosion, U.N. headquarters in Baghdad

[He219]

Huge Car Bomb Blast (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&e=1&u=/ap/20030819/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_explosion) Hits U.N. HQ in Iraq

http://wwwi.*******.com/images/2003-08-19T135252Z_01_BAG505DT_RTRIDSP_2_IRAQ.jpg
http://wwwi.*******.com/images/2003-08-19T135421Z_01_BAG503DT_RTRIDSP_2_IRAQ.jpg

Medical staff evacuate an injured man in to a U.S. army helicopter outside the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, August 19, 2003. A car bomb explosion tore through the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad on Tuesday, destroying part of the building, and witnesses said at least three people were killed and dozens wounded. Two casualties were taken away by helicopter and two others by truck, ******* correspondents on the scene said. *******/Suhaib Salem

[Zoomie]

Isn't that a 20rnd Mag in his M16?? Why would he have that instead of the 30rnd?

[budanski]

Just some Iraqi's thanking the UN for their strong support of the US getting rid of Saddam. Along with a similar bombing at the jordanian embassy which took in Saddam's daughters and a morter attack on a prison holding high-level bathist officials.

[hood]

Some videos of interest.

http://66.230.216.3/081903/foxfan_insidehotel_081903_300.wmv

http://66.230.216.3/081903/foxfan_baghdadhotel_081903_300.wmv

[He219]

http://a1112.g.akamai.net/7/1112/492/03312000/news.lycos.com/news/ot_getImage.asp?op=img&id=399313

An injured man walks out of the bomb attacked United Nations headquarters Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2003, in Baghdad, Iraq. A suicide truck bomb exploded at the hotel housing the U.N. headquarters on Tuesday, U.S. officials said. At least 15 people were killed and 40 wounded, including the chief U.N. official in Iraq, who was trapped in the rubble, U.N. officials said. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)

[Seiyuuki]

First the coalition forces, then the Jordanian's embassy and now the UN HQ...Who's next???

[Herrmannek]

in order of apperance
...
Red Cross
...

[usa320]

Its not the Iraqis that are doing this. I think they would realize that blowing up the organization that assists them, blowing up their own oil and water pipelines, definately wont help their cause at all.

I am certain that it is "outside" elements *cough*al queda*cough* that are perpetrating these attacks in an effort to ramp up Anti-American sentiment within the IRaqi population... Basiucally the extremists are taking advantage of the Iraqis to push their own horribly preverted agenda.

Methinks its time for a major crakcdown... We should spend the next entire week looking at every shred of intel weve got, then spend the entire weekend launching a massive operation to find these sons of bitches.

[hood]

well they're probably running out of targets to hit unless they hit the same utilities again like water/electric/oil. i'm kind of surprised that they haven't gone after bremer or kirik yet.

[Royal]

We should spend the next entire week looking at every shred of intel weve got, then spend the entire weekend launching a massive operation to find these sons of bitches.

What exactly do you think our Int guys (& girls) are doing 18 hours a day at the moment? :cantbeli:

[Herrmannek]

If they could hit bremer they would hit bremer. What they do is a reconnaissance in force, they are checking their attack & move posibilites, what counter mesures are taken after assaults. Just preparings for big game. They won't risk premature asault at bremer because second will be a lot harder. There is also still to hot. Soldiers are alerted they shoot whatever is moving toward them. When things calm down they'll try something big.

[He219]

There could have been a specific reason as well, tied to a vote in the Security Council last week.

On 14 August the Council gave its approval (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3164675.stm) to the recently formed Iraqi Governing Council and it also approved the establishment of a United National Assistance Mission in Iraq (Unami).



http://a1112.g.akamai.net/7/1112/492/03312000/news.lycos.com/news/ot_getImage.asp?op=img&id=399355

Coalition troops search through rubble at the United Nations headquarters after a bomb attack, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2003, in Baghdad, Iraq. A bomb exploded in front of the hotel housing the U.N. headquarters on Tuesday, collapsing the front of the building, the U.S. military said. At least 20 U.N. workers and Iraqis were killed, including the chief U.N. official in Iraq, and 100 were wounded. (AP Photo/Samir Mezban)

http://a1112.g.akamai.net/7/1112/492/03312000/news.lycos.com/news/ot_getImage.asp?op=img&id=399354

L. Paul Bremer, right, the top U.S. official in Iraq in Iraq and Sergio Vieira de Mello, the U.N. representative to Iraq, talk to the media after emerging from their meeting June 3, 2003 at the former presidential palace of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad, Iraq. Vieira de Mello, a United Nations veteran who served for more than 30 years as a troubleshooter in the world's most dangerous hotspots, was killed Tuesday Aug. 19, 2003 in a truck bombing against the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad. He was 55. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)RIP

[Argyll]

Why would it not be Iraqis that carried out this attack?
Every single time there's some terror incident it's alway Al Quida thats mentioned.......there are hundreds of islamice extremists within the Middle East.......take your pick.
I also hear this "remnants fo his regime" bantered about,his regime was huge to start off with,and as far as I recall they ,the RG.SRG ,Fedayeen,Secret Police all just "dissapeared" without trace,I would say that a considerable part of his regime still exists,and are willing to strike at any target.......this is a wake up call,and for sure there will be plenty more to come....it would be folly to think otherwise
As GWB said this will be a long process,well chaps we had a much smaller terror orginisation carry out attacks for 30 years,which resulted in over 10000 killed in that period.!!

[budanski]

What nationality is Sergio Vieira de Mello?

[He219]

Brazilian.

http://a1112.g.akamai.net/7/1112/492/03312000/news.lycos.com/news/ot_getImage.asp?op=img&id=399350



GENEVA (*******) - Sergio Vieira de Mello, the top U.N. envoy on Iraq who was killed by a bomb blast Tuesday, was a tough but debonair Brazilian who had been dispatched on some of the world body's most difficult missions.

Vieira de Mello, 55, was trapped under rubble Tuesday and died after a suspected suicide bomb blast in Baghdad.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights since September, Vieira de Mello was the immediate choice of Secretary-General Kofi Annan to take on the Iraqi job in May after the controversial U.S.-British invasion to oust Saddam Hussein .

He was also the U.S. choice and had been summoned in March to Washington, weeks before the start of the U.S.-led invasion to be sounded out by President Bush.

But Vieira de Mello insisted his Iraq assignment be for just four months so he could hold on to his human rights post.

After arriving in Baghdad, he had quickly established his presence and won the respect of U.S. Iraq administrator Paul Bremer despite tension between Washington and the U.N. Secretariat over the Iraq war.

"The relationship has been businesslike, it has been constructive, and it has been frank," Vieira de Mello, 55, told reporters in Cairo last week.

But he agreed he had landed in "a delicate ... and even bizarre situation" in postwar Iraq.

In an address to the U.N. Security Council in July, he made what was to be a prescient remark, saying, "The United Nations presence in Iraq remains vulnerable to any who would seek to target our Organization."

Vieira de Mello, born in Rio de Janeiro , had worked for the United Nations for more than three decades, starting as a junior publications editor with the UNHCR refugee agency in Geneva in 1969. He was no stranger to danger -- or to the problems of rebuilding countries shattered by war.

For over two decades, he served as a field officer in a devastated Bangladesh after its war of separation from Pakistan, and in civil war zones in Sudan, Mozambique and Lebanon.

Moving up through the ranks of the UNHCR, he was consigned to desk jobs running relief operations from Geneva during much of the 1980s -- including crises in the Great Lakes region of Central Africa and the exodus of Albanians from the country after the collapse of communism in 1991.

In 1993, he was dispatched to Bosnia as a war raged between Serbs, Croats and Muslims, and took charge of civil affairs for the U.N. Protection Force, and in 1996 became Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees.

Two years later, Annan took him to New York to become under-secretary general for Humanitarian Affairs and then sent him briefly to the Serbian province of Kosovo before giving him his biggest task -- building the new Asian nation of East Timor.

The tennis-loving Vieira de Mello stomped around the country, which had been left an economic and social wreck after the violence that accompanied Indonesian withdrawal, and played a vital role in bringing it to full independence by 2002.

In September last year Annan named him -- to acclaim from campaigning nongovernmental groups -- U.N. human rights chief to replace former Irish President Mary Robinson.

[budanski]

thanks.

[martinexsquaddie]

its unlikely to be local iraqi's who attacked the UN because it was'nt seen as being part of the occupying force having been limited by the yanks to humanitarian tasks so there was'nt much hatred for the UN.
Its more likely to be al qaida type F***Heads.
More than likely lot of saddams warriors have gone to ground and are staying there as there not stupid attacking the Us army is a good way to get killed

[Argyll]

Until a direct link to outside terror orginisations claims responsibility,then we should not rule out Iraqi forces.
Martin this ,and whats been happening since the end of the major ground war,is classical clandestine warfare.......small unit tactics,can easily stave off superior forces,they have local knowledge,the coallition are still finding their feet!.
As long as Saddam is at Large,the normal Iraqi will still fear the Fedayeen,and Secret Police,I think from a personal point of view,that it is best not to Kill Saddam,but to capture him alive,if he is killed,and as the whole of the western world knows about these dopplegangers,as do the Iraqi people,proving to them that it IS Saddam will be difficult,as they may think it is one of his doubles,and not the bas*ard himself,but alive they have no choice but to believe!
As for not much hatred twards the UN.......well how about 12 years of sanctions against them for starters?

[hood]

Here's a good article on this:


Both strikes mimic attacks blamed on Islamic terrorists elsewhere in the world. They were far more sophisticated than the campaign of guerrilla warfare that has plagued U.S. forces in Iraq. Those have generally been hit-and-run shootings carried out by small bands of soldiers or remote control roadside bombs.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,95146,00.html

[duck]

I saw some news stories where saudi authorities were speaking of some 3000 men having disappeared from their homes in recent days/weeks. For the most part surely just hotheads with no clue how to wage their "jihad" ,but some afghan-trained bombmakers are likely included.

[Argyll]

Al Quida has more links to Saudi than Iraq ever did!!
They also have a Royal Family who rule with an Iron Fist,who are also resposible for sponsering terror activities..........why........lets invade them and remove that regime too!!!!

[usa320]

Truck Bombings arent the style of the iraqi resistance. They are more shoot and run or sniper attack kinda people. For the most part disorganized and scattered... Truck bombs are the style of other, non local groups.

[Argyll]

Not quite true 320,as we have already seen the use of these types of attacks against the Coalition,several times during the ground war,so I would not rule them out for sure........remember the Dam,where a pregnant women martyred herself by killing 3 SOF guys.?
It could well be that new Iraqi nutcase group that something was posted here last week!!

[duck]

One partial solution might be achieved if Turkey agrees to send troops. They are very experienced in dealing with guerillas, are muslims and are likely to have an extensive intelligence network inside Iraq. As sunni muslims they could do a lot to calm down the sunni triangle.

[Red]

This is going to continue for some time, they will continue to kill more of our people for some time wheter we catch saddam or not.We are in a lose-lose situation in iraq.if we stay we can't establish peace and security no matter what we do except kill everyone,and if we leave, then iraq is going to slide into civil war,cause saddam will want to come back and some other parties within iraq won't like that.So whatever we do we are screwed.Just my 2 cents

[Argyll]

The Kurds in the North will not allow Turkish troops into Iraq,now don't forget the Peshmerga were also against the Iraqi state,and the UN,who's to say that they are not trying to stir things up,the Kurds want their own Independant state,there are so many possibilities,but I think it will get worse before it gets better!!

[Seiyuuki]

Al Quida has more links to Saudi than Iraq ever did!!
They also have a Royal Family who rule with an Iron Fist,who are also resposible for sponsering terror activities..........why........lets invade them and remove that regime too!!!!



The speaker called on Muslims to join the fight in Iraq and to help overthrow the royal family in Saudi Arabia, calling them puppets of the United States.

"The birthplace of Muhammad (Saudi Arabia) is also waiting for you to be saved from Jews, Christians and America," he said. "O Muslims, wherever you are, prepare yourselves for jihad (holy war) and come to Iraq and Saudi Arabia."

Well, we don't have too, it seem like these terrorists are likely going to do that for us.

[Argyll]

kind of sit back and watch the show then?
The war on terror is a good thing,but it's never going to win in our lifetimes,there are 1000's of terror groups world wide,and the Western World just simply does not have the resources to combat it at grass roots level,for every cell that gets wiped out 2 more will grow.As anti Western and in particular anti US feelings start to rise,then the harder it gets,the more extremists are born and bred to hate the West,the cycle neverending!

[James]

Iraq needs the Marshall plan updated for 2003.

[usa320]

I think we need to start looking outside of iraq for the source of some of the problems inside iraq.

[Argyll]

;) Ya mean our own back yards?
And do what exactly?,invade another country,surgical strikes on other Sovereign Countries,the whole of the Middle East is a podwerkeg,and unless we have SOLID proof,we cannot bloody a few noses ,jsut because it suits,that will only make matters a whole lot worse,not just foe the Coalition,but the Iraqis too,now's not the time to be opening up new fronts,when the jobs inside Iraq,and Afghanistan are nowhere nearly finished.
Even sending in Spec Ops into Rogue states to do some cleansing is not a good idea,especially without express permission from the Head of the Rogue State,can you imagine if there were to be a Desert One/or Somalia type incident,and these guys were captured,the US says it can do what it wants if it feels threatened,whichever country they're in,only to have that said Country execute these guys for acts of terror/war within that state,stating that they have the right to defend themselves from foreign aggression.........far fetched as it may seem,it is also a possibility!!

[usa320]

I read the first three words of your post...then i had to make sure i wasnt reading al-jazeeras website instead. Then i fell asleep. Your rhetoric- it sucks.

[Argyll]

oh so everytime something happens in Iraq you'd like to blame Al Quida,that's all you ever go on about!
As for my rhetoric sucking I don't give a Sh*t!
If you looked at the initial smiley you'd see it was hinting at a little sarcasm!!
You always have a one sided view of everything,and never look at other possibilities.........it's always Al Quida......why not Hamas,Hezbollah or any other terror group,as I also said until those responsible claim it to be their work,then we have to have every possible terror group in the Middle East under suspicion!!
I am constanly being classed as Anti American,for my views,well again I will say I'm not,but I tend to look at a broader picture and consider other possibilities,the flip side of the coin if you like,and as always the "Usual suspects" pull their blinkered heads out of the sand every now and then,make their calls,and put them back in again..........do I lose any sleep over what you think,nope,cause that's the problem you don't!!
Have a nice day!

[James]

If they could hit bremer they would hit bremer. What they do is a reconnaissance in force, they are checking their attack & move posibilites, what counter mesures are taken after assaults. Just preparings for big game. They won't risk premature asault at bremer because second will be a lot harder. There is also still to hot. Soldiers are alerted they shoot whatever is moving toward them. When things calm down they'll try something big.

Bremer's security, along with a great deal of the rest of the civilian adminstrators running things currently, is composed of guys with "cool shades and Old Navy pants"... There is a photo thread with some pictures of these guys on this site. These individuals tend to have a little bit more experience and training than a regular grunt. They don't react - they think and act a step or two ahead of the bad guys, so bad things don't happen.

[warchild1/27scout]

saddam hussien's "death pack" if youve noticed does'nt like to blow thierselves to pieces in suicide bombings. they are baathist and secular therefore won't go to heaven and screw 69 virgin pigs or whatever. they scamper away like rats when the lights turned on. we just need to turn the lights on and everything will improve. :D

[Argyll]

They did at least 3 times during the ground war,killing at least 8 US personnel
The dam incident involving the 2 women(one pregnant)
The roadblock killing 4 Us soldiers,prior to entry into Baghdad,and there was at least a couple of others
It was these actions that changed the way the US set up roadblocks,and not long after the 1st incident,the US Forces engaged a vehicle that failed to stop killing 10 occupants,mostly women and children.

[usa320]

Yo, i never said everything in Iraq was Al Queda, just this... The RPG attacks and sniper attacks obviously arent...they inflict to little damage and are considerably disorganized, which would point to baathist remnants. However, judging by the evidence that has been presented so far, which means the explosives used and the style of the attack, i thnk it is safe to say that the truck bombing was carried out by an outside entity, and not iraqi resistance.

[Argyll]

And you didn't look at the 3 examples I gave all involving the Iraqi's not Al Quida

[Grimjack]

Hey it happened,who did it remains a mystery for now. In the end it always comes around.Someone will talk,and then bam you have them! I don't blame Al Queda for everything. Like Argyll said their are lots of factions.Seems like everyone carrying a Koran is pissed at the U.S. and our allies.All over a Dictator who never did anything for his country.And as for backyards,Argyll you guys still haven't cleaned up yours. When you going to say enough and pull out of Ireland?

[Argyll]

The British Army will NEVER pull out of NI entirely,that is admitting to the world that TERRORISTS won.
Tony Blair sold out to the IRA,who have given nothing in return for the Good Friday agreement.
I served 2 tours there and was disgusted along with 1000's of other squaddies,who served their time,getting shot at ,bombed,spat on,dog **** thrown at you,all in the name of what?certainly not freedom that's for sure.....trouble was we knew all the "players",and we couldn't touch them unless they were about to do the deeds,our ROE made sure of that!

[Grimjack]

Why??? You can't stand each other.Just more blood shed that's all it is. So you're saying you wont pull out because of pride? And whos freedom you talking about?Yours or there's? After all one mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter,sound familar?

[Argyll]

Same reason you won't pull out of Panama,Cuba,Afghanistan,and now Iraq.
Yes you're right about the Freedom fighter/terrorist Bull,the IRA are no Freedom fighters,that's only in the eyes of ignorant Irish Americans,who think that cause was a noble one,they blew up Women and Kids,just like the Palestinian Hamas,and Al Quida,they targeted civilian infrastructure just like............sound familiar?
It's got nothing to do with pride about staying,the Protestants in the north do not want the catholics in the south dictating how they should run their lives..........sound familiar?
Northern Ireland is a British State,not a Republic,and there has been a British presence there since WW1,so why pull out?

[Grimjack]

There's nothing nobel about car bombs.There's two sides to every story.Just because Britian has been there since WW 1 doesn't mean it's right.Not all Irish Americans are ignorant,I've seen a few things in my time.It's about religion again.You have more catholics saying no then you have protestants saying yes.It's messed up.It will probably never end.I'm not knocking what you did,you served your country for right or wrong same as I.That's all I wanted to point out.

[Argyll]

If it's a British state,then it is right!Its no difference than being posted in Texas or in Alasksa,or Hawaii,they are all US states,and are part of the US,and NI is Part of the UK ,so being there is nothing sinister!
You say there are 2 sides to every story,I'd be interested to hear the IRA side,on why targeting Civilains were part of their war against Britain,you see if you class thse IRA scum as anything other than terrorists,and that goes for the protestant paramilitaries as well,then what the iraqi's are doing,is fighting for their Freedom too,because some see the US/UK as an Army of occupation,not Liberation,its all about how they and others see their ideology!

[oldsoak]

Curious as to why the UN, although in the light of UN sanctions and GW1, mebbe not so curious. Most established ME terrorist organisation have a country as a donor or sponsor, and an attack on the UN could prove embaraasing . - A bit difficult to to stand up in the UN and decry the US when people know your behind an attack on the UN. Local Shia extremists ? possibly, but not with Irans blessing - they dont want to rock the boat with the UN just now - Al Queda, unlikely if they could target Americans directly. Anyway , just my HO.
I think it interesting to note that there are few middle eastern states where peace and quiet are not enforced in a way few westerners would be happy with. Saddam killed more Iraqis than we ever did and still held sway to the very end. Revolts against him were , as far as I am aware, organised on religious or ethnic grounds. Its almost as though the morality of mass torture and murder was ignored by those not affected. Hope I'm wrong.
rgds

[Grimjack]

It comes down to this Argyll,the catholics want self rule but the protestants are against it.Everytime a self ruling goverment is set up Britian suspends it.Granted someone is usually breaking some agreement(dis-arming).But all it does is piss off the predominantly catholic people in the rest of Ireland.The North is a small place.Home of the loyalists.The Loyalists are pro-britian.Either way you look at it both sides are killing one another.This is all old news to you I suppose.And by saying each side has it's own story to tell I didn't say they were right.As for the islamic terrorists who the hell knows what they're thinking.I've been around the middle east in the 1st gulf war,did peacekeeping duties in egypt way back in the 80's.I will never understand them.It's hard to,so many different tribes and sects.But then again that's a whole new set of problems.Just my opinion,coming from a stupid Irish-American.

[usa320]

If its any consolation, im an Irish American and i personally think the IRA are a dirty bunch of drunken scumbuckets who are as lowly as any other terrorist group.

[Argyll]

Ok no offence then to the descent irish Americans!!
The crux of the problems in NI is that the South (predominately catholic),want to control the North,which although only 6 counties is still part of Great Britain!!The Catholics in the North(Sinn Feinn)want a return to a United Ireland,just like it was 300 years ago .......does this sound familiar.
The Protestant Loyalists all want to be ruled by the crown,and do not want to have the South have a say in what they persieve as their Homeland.The fact that Britain had Control over all of Ireland up until the Easter Uprisings in 1916/7 which gave Birth to the IRA,who fought against what were then called the Black and Tans,it was also around this same time that Support for the Germans started to increase,with shipments of guns coming from there,and the replenishment of U Boats in hidden coves in the South were seen as commonplace,a fact still refuted to this day!
I can tell you this much guys,I've had incoming from the IRA on several occasions,and dealing with terrorists,against a conventional Army is completely different,so I know how frustrating it can become for the guys in Iraq just now,but every now and then you score a "spectacular"and it gives you a real boost!!

[Royal]

And as for backyards,Argyll you guys still haven't cleaned up yours. When you going to say enough and pull out of Ireland?


So you're saying you wont pull out because of pride? And whos freedom you talking about?Yours or there's?

We havn't pulled out of Northern Ireland for one very simple reason.

Despite the actions of terrorists on both sides of the sectarian divide, the majority of its people want to remain part of the United Kingdom.

[martinexsquaddie]

thats the rub the majority of the people in NI want to remain British.
as inconvieniant as that is for politicans thats the fact the Good friday argreement spelt that out.
Thats why the IRA lost they did'nt have the majority on there side so they never had a chance to win pity it took them 30 odd years to figure it out.

[He219]

A statement posted on the Internet in the name of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network has claimed responsibility for the attack on the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad last week that killed 23 people, including the head of the mission. It was posted in Arabic late Aug. 24 on the discussion Web site www.myislah.org and dated Aug. 19, the day of the attack on the U.N. headquarters.