WORLD> Middle East
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WORLD> Middle East
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51 people killed in bombings against Shiites in Iraq
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-08-08 10:24 US commanders have said they were pleased with the progress since US combat troops pulled back from cities on June 30 as part of a withdrawal plan that would see all American forces out of Iraq by the end of 2011.
On July 9, a total of 56 people were killed in bombings in the northern, mainly Turkomen city of Tal Afar and Baghdad - the deadliest day since the handover. US officials have repeatedly called the security gains fragile and cautioned that a waning insurgency still has the ability to pull off high profile bombings. They urged Shiites to show restraint to prevent a return to the retaliatory attacks that caused sectarian violence to spike after the Feb. 22, 2006, bombing of a revered Shiite mosque in Samarra. Earlier this week, Ad Melkert, the new UN special envoy for Iraq, welcomed a new sense of optimism since the Iraqis took over security of the cities but said "reality is still tainted by an unacceptably high level of indiscriminate attacks on civilians." The Security Council voted unanimously on Friday to extend the UN civilian mission in Iraq, commending the country's efforts to strengthen democracy but stressing the need to improve security and human rights.
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