www.nytimes.com/2006/05/16/world/middleeast/16cnd-iraq.html
and OMAR AL-NEAMI Published: May 16, 2006 BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 16 Gunmen riding in two minibuses drove into a parking lot in a Shiite neighborhood in northern Baghdad today, shot dead five militiamen working as guards and then left behind a car bomb that exploded minutes later, killing at least 18 would-be rescuers and others who had rushed to the scene of the shooting.
Go to Complete Coverage The two-stage afternoon attack in the Shaab district of Baghdad was the worst of at least a dozen acts of violence that killed nearly 40 people across Iraq. The corpses of at least nine Iraqis were found in Baghdad, Karbala and other places. Late this evening, a diplomat from the United Arab Emirates was kidnapped in the Mansour district of western Baghdad by gunmen who shot his Sudanese bodyguard, according to an Iraqi Interior Ministry official. The American military also reported the deaths of three soldiers. One was killed today by a roadside bomb while on a foot patrol in southern Baghdad, and two died Monday near Balad, also victims of an insurgent bomb attack that struck their vehicle. It was not clear who was behind the Shaab attack, which also wounded 33 people, but it seemed to fit a pattern of insurgent strikes against Shiite civilians.
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, long ago declared war on what they described as Shiite "apostates," or infidels. The attack appeared carefully planned and executed, and intended to lure as many people as possible to the scene before the car bomb went off, two witnesses to the blast said. The two men declined to give their names but said they were both part of the Mahdi Army, the Shiite militia loyal to the rebel cleric Moqtada al-Sadr that controls much of eastern Baghdad They said the gunmen arrived at the parking lot about 3:50 pm local time in eight vehicles. Six of the cars blocked streets into the parking lot, while men in two Kia minibuses drove inside and gunned down the five guards. At some point, the gunmen placed a bomb inside one vehicle and left. People rushed to the parking lot, and the bomb exploded about 10 minutes later. The two witnesses described the attackers as "takfiris and wahabbis," a reference to Sunni Arab insurgents. According to the Iraqi Interior Ministry and the Iraqi police, victims of other attacks today included an economics professor killed by gunmen in Baghdad; four Iraqis shot dead while riding on a minibus in northern Baghdad, and six Iraqis slain by gunmen in the Dora neighborhood in southern Baghdad. Also today, the prime minister designate, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, repeated the same assurance he has made several times over the past few weeks that formation of a new government is only days away. Yet political parties continued to bicker over who would be appointed to the most important cabinet posts, including the minister of interior, who controls police and commandos. The current interior minister, a Shiite, is seen by many Sunni Arabs as having allowed militias to infiltrate the ministry and carry out sectarian killings of Sunni Arabs. Under the Iraqi Constitution, Mr Maliki is supposed to complete his cabinet within 30 days of being named prime minister designate, which took place on April 22. Should he fail, Iraq's president, Jalal Talabani, would have 15 days to name a new prime minister designate. A United States diplomat said today that he expected Mr Maliki to meet the deadline, but that if he failed to do so, Mr Maliki could be renominated as prime minister designate. "When a deadline approaches minds get focused and people work harder to push the deal toward conclusion," said the diplomat, who did not want to be identified because of the sensitivity of the negotiations. Qais Mizher and Mona Mahmoud contributed reporting for this article.
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