Suicide Bomber Kills 16
Bodies laying outside a hospital mortuary in Baquba.
Sixteen people have died as the result of a suicide bombing Sunday afternoon in Baquba, Iraq. The victims of the bombing were a variety of people, from police officers to women and children. In addition to those who died, over 40 people were injured.
The bombing occurred outside of Baquba's main government headquarters in the center of town. Just a week earlier, this particular street had been sealed off by security officials and only authorized vehicles were being allowed to use it. The bomber walked over to a group of policemen and then detonated the bomb.
The suicide bomber was a female, a growing trend in al Qaeda operations. More than 20 female suicide bombings have been reported already this year, a number higher than any other. U.S. Major General Mark Hertling stated "We do see certain members of cells attempting to persuade women, specifically, in many cases, wives of those who have been killed as terrorists, to conduct suicide operations."
Women being targeted by al Qaeda typically have at least one of three characteristics that makes them easily manipulated into carrying out suicide bombings: they're illiterate, deeply religious or have financial problems. Women are particularly useful to al Qaeda's insurgency because for cultural and religious reasons, they cannot be searched by Iraqi men, making it easy to smuggle bombs into secure, populated areas.
