Sunday, September 29, 2013

Hawler/Erbil Bombing

The attack by suicide bombers on the security headquarters has shocked Kurdistan and is an ugly reminder that we are still part of Iraq. The city was very quiet here this afternoon and in particular, the supermarkets and cafes were empty. So far 11 people have died, but two of the bombers were killed before they could detonate their bombs. Despite coming during the uncertainty over the election results, it is extremely unlikely that this is related to local politics as the target was Kurdish security forces and not a particular party.

All signs point to an Al Qaeda revenge attack. Two weeks ago Kurdish forces intercepted and killed a group of Al Qaeda fighters trying to enter Kurdistan and large numbers of Kurdish volunteer fighters have crossed over into Syria to protect local Kurds from Al Qaeda and extreme Islamic forces there. The last bombing was in Kurdistan was in 2007 when the same HQ in Erbil came under attack from Al Qaeda.

Lets hope that is the end of it.

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