Iraqi Leader Killed By Suicide Bomber

[vidcc]

source

The head of the Iraqi Governing Council, Abdul Zahra Othman Mohammad, also known as Izzedine Saleem, has been killed in a suicide car bomb attack.

 
A car burns after the blast in which at least nine people died
Up to nine others, including Mr Saleem's driver and assistant, were killed and eight others injured, including two American soldiers, when the bomb exploded outside the headquarters of the American-led coalition in Baghdad.

The blast destroyed three cars that were waiting at the checkpoint to the Green Zone compound.

Mr Saleem was the leader of the Islamic Dawa Movement, a Shia group based in the southern city of Basra.

He is the second member of the American-appointed governing council to be assassinated since the body was established last July.

He was one of the council members who hold the rotating presidency for a month at a time.

Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, broke off from talks in Brussels over the European constitution to express his "shock and outrage" about Mr Saleem's death.

"His murder was perpetrated by terrorists in Iraq trying to destroy the peaceful transition to a democratic, representative Iraq," he said.

Downing Street also condemned the attack. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "Mr Saleem had been working with his colleagues for the last year to give Iraq a future of freedom, democracy and security, all of which are rejected by the terrorists."

Ann Clwyd, Tony Blair's human rights envoy to Iraq, said she was shocked by the news. She described Mr Saleem as a gentle man and the last person she would expect to be targeted.

i don't see much hope for peace after the hand over

[SingaBoiy]

I think they should bring back public hangings or burnings.

[Rat Faced]

Terrorist are like weeds..

No matter how much you prune them, or even cut them down, unless you treat the roots, they come back stronger than ever.

Unless the root causes of the terrorists are treated, there will be no end to it.. they will recruit and kill. If the roots are treated, then there is no recruitement.

Unfortunatly, the current thinking is that feeding the roots and pruning is the answer... go figure.

[hobbes]

Originally posted by Rat Faced@18 May 2004 - 18:13
Terrorist are like weeds..

No matter how much you prune them, or even cut them down, unless you treat the roots, they come back stronger than ever.

Unless the root causes of the terrorists are treated, there will be no end to it.. they will recruit and kill. If the roots are treated, then there is no recruitement.

Unfortunatly, the current thinking is that feeding the roots and pruning is the answer... go figure.

Well, what is the answer, how do we kill the roots?

[vidcc]

Originally posted by hobbes@18 May 2004 - 12:37
Well, what is the answer, how do we kill the roots?

i'm not going to pretend that i have the solution to all the tradgic events that go on around the world but to me a simple view of how to start would be to try to find out why they are attacking us and if we can try to make changes to those reasons.
Bill clinton gave a lecture in the uk a while back and he pretty much said that we have to look at ourselves before we look at others.
Terrorism is inexcusable and i condem it without reservation as a tool to try and change things, however i find it hard to believe that such acts have no reason behind them, even if the reason is just hatred there has to be a reason that hatred came about.
This is not about placing blame rather suggesting that treating the cause is more productive than just suppressing the symptom.
Edit: i appreciate this is just repeating what rat posted
here's the eye candy again

[J'Pol]

Originally posted by hobbes+18 May 2004 - 20:37--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (hobbes @ 18 May 2004 - 20:37)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Rat Faced@18 May 2004 - 18:13
Terrorist are like weeds..

No matter how much you prune them, or even cut them down, unless you treat the roots, they come back stronger than ever.

Unless the root causes of the terrorists are treated, there will be no end to it.. they will recruit and kill. If the roots are treated, then there is no recruitement.

Unfortunatly, the current thinking is that feeding the roots and pruning is the answer... go figure.

Well, what is the answer, how do we kill the roots? [/b][/quote]
As the root is likely to be an ethic or belief (whether factually accurate or not) rather than a person, then killing it can only be done by changing the minds of those who hold those beliefs.

That is not to say change what they believe, at least not overnight. It is to change how they seek to achieve their goals. The Irish example is a classic one. Far from solved but moving inexorably (hopefully) in the right direction.

The trick was to compromise, to balance what both sides wanted and to convince the people that such compromise was the only possible solution. I think the fact that ordinary people were so tired of things would have helped persuade their leadership that this was for the best.

I hope and pray for a just and lasting peace.