Iraq: March 9, 2005

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Security forces found the decomposing bodies of 41 Iraqi men, women and children at two locations near the Syrian border and south of Baghdad. The victims were apparently killed in an attempt to discourage men from joining the police and army, or otherwise "collaborating" with the government or coalition. This terrorism has not worked. Most of these killings have been by Sunni Arab backers of the Baath Party, Islamic conservatism, Saddam Hussein and Sunni Arab dictatorship in general. This has not, as al Qaeda hoped, triggered a civil war between the Sunni Arab minority (about 20 percent of the population) and everyone else. That's because an increasing percentage of the victims have been Sunni Arabs who won't back the terrorists. Al Qaeda groups have relied heavily on foreign volunteers, and this has not made the group very popular. Al Qaeda's specialty is the suicide car bomb, and these, while frequent, have killed mostly Iraqis. Al Qaeda is the most hated organization in Iraq because of these attacks. 

 

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