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Last updated on July 27th, 2017 at 06:21 am
AP reports:
At least two enormous bombs, including a cement-mixing truck packed with explosives, blew up outside the Palestine Hotel — home to many foreign journalists — killing 11 people and wounding 13, Iraqi police said.
One of the bombs appeared to have gone off at an Iraqi police checkpoint on the northeast side of Firdous Square adjacent to the hotel compound.
Two journalists were killed in 2003 when US troops, believing they’d spotted an Iraqi forward artillery observer, fired on the Palestine Hotel. A Spanish judge subsequently issued arrest warrants for three US soldiers.
(Via Larry Tomasson)
Police now say 17 people are dead after three enormous bombs went off near an Iraqi police post outside the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad.
An Iraqi Interior Ministry official said the dead include Iraqi police and civilians.
The hotel serves as a base for a lot of the foreign journalists in Iraq. Police and journalists said there’s heavy damage to the hotel. TV pictures show a huge cloud of smoke rising from the scene, and debris falling from the building.
- …and the journalists will probably spin this as a victory of some sort.Posted by Patrick Chester on 10/24 at 12:37 PM • permalink
- Why on earth would the terrorists turn on their own? Doesn’t make sense.
In the coming days and weeks, expect daring exposés detailing the possible involvement of Coalition forces in this to discredit the “Insurgency”.
Posted by Spiny Norman on 10/24 at 12:59 PM • permalink
- An own goal of the dumbest kind. Even Al-
Reuters might wake up after this, though not the Beeb.I wonder if any Al-Jazeera staffers or stringers were in the building or, for that matter, observing it from among the terrorists?
Posted by Michael Lonie on 10/24 at 01:07 PM • permalink
Police now say 17 people are dead after three enormous bombs went off near an Iraqi police post outside the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad.
Were they trying to give their journo friends who never leave the hotel a ringside seat?
Posted by Spiny Norman on 10/24 at 01:27 PM • permalink
- 4 Cosmo
And of course, that same Spanish court will be issuing arrest warrants for the ‘insurgents’ involved in ‘targeting’ ‘journalists’ . . . won’t they? Won’t they?
Well sure, after their customary 2-year getting-around-to-it interlude.5 Spiny
In the coming days and weeks, expect daring exposés detailing the possible involvement of Coalition forces in this to discredit the “Insurgency”.
Not convoluted enough. It was the Mossad infiltraters within the coalition forces what dunnit.
Posted by Stoop Davy Dave on 10/24 at 02:33 PM • permalink
- Sadly, Stoop, I think you are right.
It must be very comforting to simple-minded people to believe in these fantasy conspiracies. You have a ready-made explanation for anything that happens, from powerful earthquakes (“The Pentagon activated their earthquake superweapon.”) to tripping over a child’s toy (“The Jews put that skate there to get me.”)
I’ll bet Osama thinks he designed Al Qaeda after the organization of the Jewish International Conpiracy.
Posted by Michael Lonie on 10/24 at 03:09 PM • permalink
- When they came for the Kurds and Iraqis, I did not protest, because I was a journalist, not an Iraqi. When they came for the Coalition soldiers, I did not protest, because I was a journalist, not a soldier. When they came for the teachers and policemen, I did not protest, because I was a journalist, not a teacher. When they came for the commuters, I did not protest, because I was, well, a commuter, but not one of those commuters. But when they came for the journalists, I squealed like a stuck pig and no-one gave a damn.
- Eliminate the middle man. Cool.
Notice how the terrorists never bomb the satellite dishes and broadcast antennae? They know who’s on their side.
Posted by richard mcenroe on 10/24 at 07:34 PM • permalink
- Fortunately the bar is in back by the pool so no journalists were injured…Posted by richard mcenroe on 10/24 at 08:35 PM • permalink
- I think this is just a labour relations exercise by the terrorists.
The MSM has lost interest in publicising terrorist atrocities in Iraq since the election, what with hurricanes and earthquakes, and that won’t do. This should get the terrorist PR outlets back on message. Even hotel journalists caught this one, assuming they go as far as the lobby to find stories.
Posted by Mr Hackenbacker on 10/24 at 09:19 PM • permalink
- Iraq: Learning the Lessons of Vietnam
By Melvin R. LairdFrom Foreign Affairs, November/December 2005
———————————————
Summary: During Richard Nixon’s first term, when I served as secretary of defense, we withdrew most U.S. forces from Vietnam while building up the South’s ability to defend itself. The result was a success – until Congress snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by cutting off funding for our ally in 1975. Washington should follow a similar strategy now, but this time finish the job properly.Posted by stackja1945 on 10/24 at 09:43 PM • permalink
- I wish violence against no one BUT –
at least 17 human beings (presumably innocent Iraqi civilians and Iraqi civilian policemen trying to protect them) died in this bomb blast. I have to wonder if the perpetrators would still be described as “freedom fighters” or “insurgents” had even one member of that elite cadre of Palestine Hotel “journalists” suffered a hangnail from this blast.
- Jeez ya shoulda seen how BBC World covered this last night they kept showing the pictures of the explosion from every angle, I commented that it was like terror porn for them and they were getting off on it. Just then the presenter said “let’s see that again in real time, you see the first explosion”, then the cement truck came round the roundabout and the presenter said “now you see the truck” then the cement truck stops for a bit and the presenter says nothing, dead air for a good fifteen seconds, then the truck started moving back and forth and the presenter says “watch him drive back and forth, back and forth…” I swear to god he must have had his right hand under the desk as he was waiting for the money shot, then boom! I’ll bet he had to go to the bathroom to get some tissues at that point. Ah good ol’ Auntie Beeb just being their impartial selves.Posted by Harry Flashman on 10/25 at 01:26 AM • permalink
- The journalists must now ask themselves, “What have we done to make them angry at us?”Posted by Dave in Chicago on 10/25 at 04:19 PM • permalink
First the terrorists attacked US and British military. That didn’t work because they got slaughtered.
Second the terrorists attacked Iraqi civilians. That didn’t work because it turned the civilian population against them.
Finally, the terrorists take direct action against western journalists, who were the ones the other actions were really directed at anyway. I guess the terrorists figure they might as well go directly to the journalists, who will never turn against the terrorists anyway.