“Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has taken to calling the withdrawal of American combat troops from Iraq’s cities by next Tuesday a ‘great victory,’ a repulsion of foreign occupiers he compares to the rebellion against British troops in 1920.” — New York Times, June 25
Fruits of Victory Alert: “5 Baghdad churches bombed in 24 hours,” from CNN, July 12 (thanks to M.):
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Five Baghdad churches were bombed in less than 24 hours and eight civilians were wounded, officials said Sunday.
Three bombs exploded outside churches Sunday afternoon, wounding the civilians, an Interior Ministry official said. The bombs detonated within a 15-minute span, between 4:30 and 4:45 p.m.
Two of the churches are in central Baghdad’s al-Karrada district, and the third is in al-Ghadeer in eastern Baghdad.
Sunday evening, a bomb exploded outside a church in eastern Baghdad just after 7 p.m. No casualties were reported.
Most of the churches were damaged in the bombings, according to video footage.
Saturday night, a church in western Baghdad sustained damage in a double bombing, the official said. The two bombs placed inside St. Joseph’s church detonated at around 10 p.m. local time. There was no one in the church at the time of the attack….