Mixed reaction in Baghdad to Nasiriya car bombing

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, November 14, 2003

Mixed reaction in Baghdad to Nasiriya car bombing

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There has been mixed reaction in Baghdad to Wednesday's powerful car bombing at Italian police headquarters in the southern city of Nasiriya, where 18 Italians and nine Iraqis were killed and scores were injured.

A tanker laden with powerful explosives driven by unknown suicide bomber rammed the outside wall of the headquarters in Nasiriya, 370 km south of Baghdad, causing heavy human losses and material damages.

In response to repeated calls by the United States, which led a war that ousted Iraqi former president Saddam Hussein, Italy has sent more than 2,000 of its troops to be stationed in Nasiriya, which remained up to now one of the quietest cities in Iraq.

Rassim Abul Majid, a 42-year-old state employee, said he was shocked by what he calls "this act of subversion which would certainly further destabilize Iraq."

"What we need in Iraq," Abul Majid added, "is security and stability to draft a permanent constitution for Iraq, hold general elections and set up a national and democratic government preliminary for withdrawal of foreign forces from the country."

Abdul Majid accused al-Qaida led by Saudi-born Osama bin Laden of being behind the attack.

A shop-keeper in al-Baia' district in the west of the capital city, Abdul Illan Ridha, strongly condemned the attack, saying those behind such acts were seeking to terrorize Iraqi people and force those countries wanting to help rebuild war-torn Iraq to abandon their plans.

In the past two decades, Iraq experienced three wars and 13 years of tough UN sanctions that impoverished more than 60 percent of the 25 million Iraqi people.

When she was approached about her views, university student Sawsan Rahim refused to answer, saying she was too busy with her lessons.

However, she expressed hope that peace and security would soon be back to Iraq.

In the wake of the dramatic fall of Saddam, Iraq witnessed a wave of lootings, arsons, kidnappings and other crimes.

The US-led 150,000-strong coalition forces have failed to restore security to the country seven months after the end of the main conflict.

Meanwhile, armed attacks including car bombings by unknown armedmen are on the rise, something that forced coalition forces to recruit a large number of Iraqi policemen to help restore security.

Observers said many Iraqis believe that Nasiriya attack is part of what they call "Iraqi resistance against foreign occupation."

Even the US Central Intelligence Agency admitted in a report leaked on Wednesday that Iraqis are supporting this resistance, while calling for speeding up the transfer of power to Iraqis.

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