It was an extremely bloody day in Iraq. At least 80, possibly scores more, lost their lives from coordinated attacks in Baghdad. as violence seems to continue at a harsh level.
[The Guardian:]
It was intended as a period of national reflection. A 15-minute pause at midday to mark the first anniversary of what many consider to be the spark that lit the fuse of Iraq's civil war.
The bombing of the golden-domed Askariya shrine in Samarra last February by suspected Sunni militants killed no one - but since that day 33,929 Iraqi civilians have lost their lives in the ensuing violence. As Baghdad's clocks registered 12.20 yesterday, Iraq's prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, appeared on state television to appeal for calm, for national unity and for an end to the violence that has devastated the country.
...
The latest atrocity came a week after Mr Maliki had ordered thousands of police and troops on to the street as part of a joint Iraqi and US security plan.
Yesterday both Iraqi and US soldiers had also taken to the streets, adding checkpoints across the city in a show of force aimed at stopping sectarian violence in Baghdad. The American military is sending 21,000 additional troops to Iraq to assist in the crackdown.
...
"Watching this, I think it is like being in hell. Where is Mr Maliki? Will he visit this place?" said a bystander who gave his name only as Muhammad.
When will it stop?
Sunnis and Shias need to work together; Iran and America need to work together. They all have so much to loose from this worsening civil war. The Sunnis and Shias and Kurds and others are loosing their country and livelihood, Iran and others in the Middle East have a neighbor that is imploding on itself, and the US is facing a military and political — local and international — disaster. It may sound like a dream, but one of these pairs have to work together, and will eventually.
iraq, baghdad
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