Now that we know
Remnants of car bomb on April 15, 2013 in the al-Obaidi neighborhood, east of Baghdad. Ali al-Saadi (AFP/Getty Image).
On April 15, 2013, the Boston Marathon was the target of two homemade bombs which killed (so far) 3 people and wounded nearly 200, some seriously and permanently. It terrorized a large metropolitan area.
The attack also transfixed the nation for nearly a week until the second of two suspects was taken last night in front of the television and internet viewers of the world.
Meanwhile on that same Monday in Iraq, a few days before local elections, 75 people were killed and more than 350 were seriously injured in bomb explosions and gun fire in numerous (possibly coordinated) attacks across the country. Here are some examples:
A total of 23 car bombs exploded on Monday morning rush hour in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, the northern cities of Kirkuk, Tuz- Khurmato and Mosul, the central cities of Tikrit, Dowr and Hilla, in addition to the eastern province of Diyala, and the southern city of Nassriyah. [Xinhua English News].
A child was killed and eight persons wounded when a car bomb exploded north of Baquba, Diyala province. National Iraqi News Agency [NINA].
A policeman was shot dead in Tarmiya. [AP via Yahoo News].
In Mosul a married couple were shot to death by unknown gunmen. [NINA]. Another civilian and one soldier were also killed in addition to policemen and civilians wounded in separate bombings. [Xinhua English News and NINA].
Bombs wounded seven people at a political candidate’s home in Salah ad Din province. [Xinhua English News].
In Takrit four people were killed and three wounded in two separate explosions. [NINA].
In Falluja, a suicide car bomber killed two policemen and wounded 6 others at a checkpoint. [AP via Yahoo News]. A bystander was shot dead. [NINA]. A roadside adhesive bomb killed two civilians. [NINA]. That doesn’t count the bomb aimed at an army patrol which exploded to no effect. [NINA].
Near Ramadi the cousin of one of the civilians killed by the adhesive bomb in Falluja was wounded in bombs directed against a Sunni cleric. Two bodyguards were killed. [Xinhua English News].
In Kirkuk, four car bombs separately went off in the city, killing two people and wounding 24 others. [Xinhua English News].
The list, which I won’t continue for fear of tiring my readers, goes on and. on.
When the next military adventure is concocted by our rulers, perhaps having tasted the bitter gall of politically inspired violence against an innocent population, we should consider how our actions might unleash the whirlwind elsewhere. And of course that whirlwind generally continues long after we have become tired of reading about it.
Hidden Cause, Visible Effects 