Car Bombings in Baghdad Kill at Least 17 Iraqis
18 January 2007
Iraqi officials say at least 17 people have been killed in a series of car bomb explosions in Baghdad as violence in the city continues to surge.
Police say more than 40 people were wounded in five car bombings across the capital Thursday.
Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Mailki is pledging to crack down on both Sunni insurgents and Shi'ite militias, including the Mahdi Army of his ally, Moqtada al-Sadr.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Mr. Maliki said Iraqi security forces this week detained 400 Mahdi Army militiamen.
He also said if supplied with sufficient equipment and training, his security forces can stabilize Iraq enough to allow U.S. forces to begin pulling out in three to six months.
The Iraqi prime minister also disputed President Bush's remarks broadcast Tuesday, that the execution of ousted dictator Saddam Hussein "looked like it was a kind of revenge."
Mr. Maliki said Saddam had been treated with greater respect than the former leader himself had treated his opponents.
On Wednesday, at least 25 people were killed and more than 70 wounded in separate attacks in Baghdad's mainly Shi'ite Sadr City district and the northern city of Kirkuk. More than 100 people were killed in attacks around the capital Tuesday.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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