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A suicide bomber carrying explosives blew himself up
on May 4 outside a local Kurdistan Democratic Party,
KDP, office that also serves as a police recruitment
centre, killing at least 46 people and injuring more
than a hundred others.
It was the deadliest insurgent attack in two months
and came a day after a new cabinet was sworn in,
despite disagreements over the defence minister post
and other obstacles that resulted in the appointment
of five acting ministers.
Most of the victims were from surrounding villages
as opposed to residents of Erbil, which is the
capital of the western part of Iraqi Kurdistan and
is the power base for the KDP. Erbil is located
about 353 kilometres northwest of Baghdad.
Around 200 people were queuing up to apply for
police service jobs at the Interior Force Committee
of the KDP, some 500 metres from the popular
Sheraton Hotel. They were all young adults, as the
criteria for employment stipulated that applicants
be between the ages of 19 and 26.
After the explosion, there was chaos and confusion
as a crowd gathered in the area to help the victims.
Large pools of blood formed and shoes were scattered
across the ground.
According to a statement released on the internet,
the militant group Ansar al-Sunna has claimed
responsibility for the bombing, and has vowed to
carry out more attacks on Kurds.
Witness Ali Mohammed, a shop owner, was only 200
metres away from the explosion site and used his car
to take four of the victims to the hospital.
"When I came back, I found a head hanging from one
of the trees of our garden," he said.
Victim Shirwan Hamakhan, 26, who was at the Erbil
Emergency Hospital, said he was sitting behind
several queuing men when the explosion occurred. A
piece of shrapnel was lodged in his stomach and he
also received injuries to his face, shoulders and
legs.
"When the explosion happened, all of those who were
in front of me were killed," he told IWPR.
Sarhang Khalid, 22, was also waiting in line, said
that he could not remember anything about the
explosion. "When I woke up, I found myself in the
hospital," said Khalid, who received injuries to his
face, hands and legs.
To date, the northern Kurdish area has been spared
the worst of the violence that has plagued the rest
of the country. The last major attack was in
February 2004, when more than 100 people were killed
in Erbil after two suicide bombers blew themselves
up at a large reception.
And the last large-scale attack in Iraq was on March
10, when more than 50 people were killed during a
funeral in Kirkuk, located north of Baghdad.
About 200 people have been killed since the National
Assembly approved a partial cabinet on April 28,
comprising few Sunnis, despite them being offered
six of the seven cabinet posts they sought.
Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Ja'afari, of the largely
Shia United Iraqi Alliance coalition, continued
negotiations on May 4 to fill the disputed posts.
Besides the defence minister post, which was
supposed to go to a Sunni, the key post of oil
minister was also under negotiation. Two deputy
minister posts also remain vacant.
At the swearing-in ceremony on May 3, half of the
275-strong National Assembly members were absent,
including Vice President Ghazi al-Yawer, a Sunni who
has threatened to quit his post over the cabinet
positions.
Najat Ahmed and Rebwar Hassan are reporters for the
Sulaimaniyah-based Hawlati newspaper.
www.iwpr.net
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