BAGHDAD: Insurgents unleashed a new wave of bombings across Iraq early yesterday targeting security forces and civilians, and killing 17 people and wounding dozens more in the latest challenge to government efforts to promote a sense of stability, police and health officials said.
The deadliest explosions took place in the disputed northern city of Kirkuk. In the first attack, a parked car bomb exploded near the offices of a Kurdish political party, then another bomb went off as police and rescuers gathered, a police officer said.
Such double bombings are a common insurgent tactic. Five members of a security unit from the nearby Kurdistan self-rule region were killed and four were wounded, officials said.
About an hour later, another parked car bomb hit an Iraqi army patrol in the Sunni-dominated town of Hawija to the west of Kirkuk, killing five soldiers and wounding four.
Kirkuk, about 290 km north of Baghdad, is home to a mix of Arabs, Kurds and Turkomen, all competing for control of the city.
In Baghdad, a parked car bomb shook the city center during the morning rush hour, killing one civilian and wounding 10, police said.
The blast went off near the Palestine and Ishtar Sheraton hotels, two downtown landmarks, rattling buildings several blocks away and sending a thick plume of black smoke billowing into the air. A series of coordinated attacks near the two hotels and others in Baghdad killed at least 37 people in January 2010.
To the south of Baghdad, another parked car bomb went off in a market for villagers near the city of Hillah, killing six people and wounding 42, two police officers said. Two women were among the dead. Hillah is 95 km south of Baghdad.
Health official confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, though suicide car bombings are a favorite tactic of Al-Qaeda.
Bombing wave targeting Iraqi security kills 17
Bombing wave targeting Iraqi security kills 17
Arab and Islamic states reject Israel’s recognition of Somaliland
- Israel formally recognized Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state” on Friday
- Saudi Arabia on Friday expressed full support for sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity of Somalia
A group of foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic countries, alongside the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), have firmly rejected Israel’s announcement of its recognition of the Somaliland region within Somalia.
In a joint statement issued on Saturday, the ministers condemned Israel’s decision, announced on December 26, warning that the move carries “serious repercussions for peace and security in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region” and undermines international peace and security, the Jordan News Agency reported.
The statement described the recognition as an unprecedented and flagrant violation of international law and the charter of the United Nations, which uphold the principles of state sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, JNA added.
Israel formally recognized Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state” and signed an agreement to establish diplomatic ties, as the region’s leader hailed its first-ever official recognition.
The ministers reaffirmed their full support for the sovereignty of Somalia, rejecting any measures that would undermine its unity or territorial integrity.
They warned that recognizing the independence of parts of states sets a dangerous precedent and poses a direct threat to international peace and security.
The statement also reiterated categorical opposition to any attempt to link the move with plans to displace the Palestinian people outside their land, stressing that such proposals are rejected “in form and substance.”
Alongside the Jordanian foreign ministry, the joint statement was issued by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, The Gambia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, Turkiye and Yemen, as well as the OIC.
Saudi Arabia on Friday expressed full support for the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Somalia, and expressed its rejection of the declaration of mutual recognition between Israel and Somaliland.
