1 February 2008 Baghdad bombings

The 1 February 2008 Baghdad bombings occurred on 1 February 2008, when two suicide bombings occurred in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. The blasts killed 98 people and injured over 200 others.

1 February 2008 Baghdad bombings
Location of Baghdad in Iraq
LocationBaghdad, Iraq
Date1 February 2008 (UTC+3)
Attack type
Suicide bombs
Deaths98
Injured208
PerpetratorsUnknown: legal proceedings have not yet taken place.

Details

The two blasts were shortly before the call to Friday prayers when many Iraqis were shopping or meeting with friends.[1]

Initial reports were that both women had Down Syndrome, based on the analysis of their intact heads. But later reports were less clear on the issue, saying that the women suffered from depression and schizophrenia and it was unknown whether they had a condition that made them unable to understand what they were doing.[2]

The acting director of the al-Rashad psychiatric hospital, Dr. Sahi Aboub, was arrested in connection with the attack on 10 February.[3] It has been reported [4] that Dr Aboub is a Shia Muslim and that the al Rashad hospital is run by the Shia Mehdi Army. However, the attacks occurred in primarily Shia areas of Baghdad.

Reactions
  •  Iraq: Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said the use of disabled people underlined the "terrorists' moral degradation".[5]

References
  1. BBC News: Twin bombs kill scores in Baghdad, 1 February 2008
  2. OPPEL Jr, RICHARD A. (21 February 2008). "Files for Suicide Bombers Show No Down Syndrome". The New York Times.
  3. Lannen, Steve (20 February 2008). "Iraq | Siege mentality at Baghdad hospital". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  4. "Patrick Cockburn: This is the war that started with lies, and continues with lie after lie after lie – Commentators, Opinion". The Independent. London. 19 March 2008. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  5. Iraq market bombs toll nears 100, BBC News: 2 February 2008

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