Monday, June 05, 2006

Iraqi Shias murdered in sectarian massacre

Twenty six people who were stopped in a minibus at a makeshift checkpoint at Baqouba in north-east Iraq were lined up and massacred. Those killed were Shia and two Kurds with four Sunni passengers allowed to go free.

Further evidence, were any needed, that Iraq is now falling into civil war.

The deaths in Baqouba occurred after the minibuses arrived at the outskirts of the city from the nearby town of Qara Tappah. Among those killed in the Baqouba massacre were 12 students on their way to take part in end-of-term examinations. The four Sunnis let go by the gunmen, also students, were being questioned by police. According to witnesses some of the students attempted to run away, but were dragged back to stand alongside others from the minibuses before being shot.

Communal violence has risen unremittingly since the bombing of a Shia shrine in February and Baqouba in Diyala province has been the scene of several attacks in the conflict.

A police spokesman said " The insurgents had set up a checkpoint in the Udhaim area. They did not spare anyone, those killed included men in their 70s and boys of 15 and 16."

In another part of Iraq another grisly discovery was made. The heads of seven cousins and an imam left severed by the side of a road.

More victims of the sectarian violence that is ripping through Iraq.

Blair and Bush continue to insist that Iraq has not descended into civil war. If this is not civil war, I am left wondering what civil war will look like.

It reminds me of a report I made on a comment of Rumsfeld's in the very early days of this blog.

He was asked to define the difference between "sectarian violence" and "civil war" in Iraq.

He responded, "It's a good question and we've been trying to look for a way to characterise... what are the ingredients of a civil war and how would you know if there was one... and what would it look like... and what might be it's progression.. either up is increased violence or down to be less violence and it's a hard thing to do and people are analysing that and thinking about it."

And then finished with a bombshell.

"And I think, until I've had a chance to think about it, I'll say that I don't think it will look like the American Civil War".

These are the people who are leading us.

I don't want to follow.

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