The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, October 28, 2003, Image 10
10 NEi Tuesday, October 28, 2003 THE BATTAL Baghdad bombings kill dozens, wound hundred) By Charles J. Hanley THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BAGHDAD, Iraq — Striking in rapid suc cession, suicide car bombers bent on death for “collaborators” devastated the Red Cross head quarters and three police stations Monday, killing three dozen people and wounding more than 200 in the bloodiest day in Baghdad since the start of the U.S. occupation. From north to south in this city of 5 million, the explosions over a 45-minute period left streetscapes of broken bodies, twisted wreckage and Iraqis unnerved by an escalating underground war. The dead included a U.S. soldier, eight Iraqi policemen and at least 26 Iraqi civilians. “We feel helpless when see this,” said an Iraqi doctor. Iraqi and U.S. authorities in Baghdad blamed the coordinated quadruple blasts on foreign fighters intent on targeting those they accuse of collaborat ing with U.S. forces. One captive would-be bomber was said to carry a Syrian passport. But in Washington, Pentagon officials said they believed loyalists of ousted President Saddam Hussein were responsible. President Bush said insurgents had become more “desperate” because of what he said was progress in Iraq. The tactics suggested a level of organization that U.S. officials had doubted the resistance possessed. In past weeks, bombers have carried out heavy sui cide bombings but in single strikes. Not only were Monday’s attacks coordinated, they also involved disguise: the use of an Iraqi ambulance in the Red Cross attack, a police car and uniform in a police station explosion. The blasts, which echoed the Aug. 19 bombing of the U.N. headquarters here, left the Red Cross and other aid agencies examining whether they should decrease their presence in Iraq. Paris-based Medecins Sans Frontieres said it would reduce its seven-member expatriate team in Baghdad. Secretary of State Colin Powell said he hoped nongovernment organizations, contractors and the United Nations would stay in Iraq despite the dangers. “They are needed. Their work is needed. And if they are driven out, then the terrorists win,” Powell said in Washington. The differing theories about who was behind the bombings underscored the confusion generated by two days of bold, stunning attacks, beginning with a rocket barrage on a U.S. headquarters hotel Sunday that killed a-U.S. colonel, wounded 15 other people and sent Americans scurrying to safety, including the visiting deputy defense secretary, Paul Wolfowitz. Later Sunday, three U.S. soldiers were killed in two attacks in the Baghdad area. Then, at 8:30 a.m. Monday, on a warm, clear morning beginning the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the first of four thunderous explo- Bombings rattle Iraqi capital al-Shaab m Suicide car bombers struck outside police stations One day after a rocket attack hit the Al-Rasheed Hotel, car bombers struck the Red Cross head quarters and three police stations across Baghdad on Monday, killing about 36 people in a spree of destruction. m al-Khudra AJ-Rasheed Hotel Cross Red Cros headquarters Twelve killed, including two employees Fifteen killed and one U.S. soldier IRAQ - Baghdad -0'' 1 SOURCES ESRI: MIMA: East View; Associated Press AP sions rocked the city. A police car, somehow commandeered for a sui cide mission and driven by a man in police uniform, blew up after entering the courtyard of the al-Baya’a police station in southern Baghdad, said police Brig. Gen. Ahmed Ibrahim, the deputy interior minister. Officers said the blast killed 15 Iraqis and one U.S. soldier, and the U.S. military said six other Americans were wounded. American troops have been working with Iraqi police and guarding the stations. Just five minutes later, a second blast sirucil local headquarters of the International CommitiJ the Red Cross, a small, three-story building quiet street in central Baghdad. This bomber, used a subterfuge — an Iraqi ambulance that ap ently was able to approach the ICRC offices wiii suspicion. “I saw this ambulance driving up toward the;: Cross, and then suddenly it blew up,” said cigar vendor Ghani Khadim. The vehicle stopped60i: from the front of the Red Cross building, at a tective line of earth-filled barrels, and disintegr; as it blew a 15-foot-wide crater in the road The blast knocked down a 40-foot sectionof: ICRC’s sandbag-backed front wall, demolishej dozen cars and apparently broke a water ma flooding the streets. The building’s interior wrecked — a scene of shattered glass, doors bta off their hinges, toppled bookcases and collapj ceilings. More than 100 staff' members normally w have been inside, but starting time changed to 9 a.m. because of Ramadan, and pro! bly only one-quarter of the normal staff was pres Red Cross headquarters in Geneva said 12 pea were killed, only two of them employees, beli? to be security guards, and the rest apparer: passers-by. The Red Cross and other aid organize: reduced their Baghdad staffs after the car bomb at U.N. headquarters that killed 23 people. FBI: Crime stays level for 2002 Volun Crime rates rise only slightly in 2002 NEWS IN BRIEF By Curt Anderson THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — When an arrest is made, it is becoming more common for the handcuffs to be on a woman, according to an FBI report Monday that also found the num ber of crimes reported to police was virtually unchanged last year. Arrests of men and women in 2002 are part of the FBI’s annual look at serious crime. It found showed a slight increase — less than one-tenth of 1 percent — to about 11.9 mil lion murders, rapes, thefts, robberies, burgla ries, aggravated assaults and vehicle thefts. Men still accounted for the vast majority of adults arrested for these and other crimes — about 77 percent of the total. But women are gaining ground, with the 1.9 million arrested in 2002 representing 23 percent. That was a 14 percent increase from 1993. An even larger jump occurred between 1986 and 1995, when arrests of women rose by almost 38 percent. During those years, women were being placed in custody more frequently for almost all crimes, including violent offenses such as murder, robbery and aggravated assaults. Between 1993 and 2002, women’s arrests for murder, robbery, burglary, theft and arson have begun to fall. Increases for women are most notable for such crimes as embezzle ment (80 percent higher), forgery and coun terfeiting (19 percent), drug abuse (50 per cent), vagrancy (42 percent) and liquor law violations (49 percent). Arrests of women for aggravated assault climbed nearly 25 percent over the decade. During that same time, aggravated assault arrests for all offenders fell by 21 percent. Kenneth Land, a professor of sociology at Duke University, attributed the rise in female arrests to societal changes over the past 30 years in which more women have entered the work force and generally have achieved a sta tus on a par with men. “You’re more likely to have situations where they can be involved as motivated offenders due to the role changes over the past decades, as compared to men,” Land said. The FBI’s annual crime statistics are drawn from reports to 17,000 city, county and state law enforcement agencies. A stable pic ture emerges from the 2002 numbers, with no major upticks in any category but no marked declines, either. Sharon: Israel has no plans to kill Arafa! JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Ariel Sharon saidfw first time Monday that Israel has no plans to kill Yasser Ara 1 : even as he accused the Palestinian leader of continuing orchestrate attacks on civilians. Sharon delivered his assessment as Israel confirmed plans begin providing services to eight settlement outposts in theWe Bank. The announcement dealt another blow to the falteringUi backed peace plan. That plan, known as the “road map,” calls for a construct; freeze in Israeli settlements and removal of outposts erecif since 2001. Palestinians have complained that Israel is unde mining the peace plan — but have also balked at the requireme that they dismantle militant groups. In an other development, Palestinian Prime Minister Ate Qureia said that he is making progress in talks with Islamicmi tants about halting fighting with Israel. Sharon met with a delegation of lawmakers from the Europe; Parliament, where he was asked about Arafat. Israel’s Cabis last month decided to “remove” Arafat at an unspecified response to Palestinian suicide bomb attacks, prompting spe. lation the Palestinian leader would be expelled or assassinat. “I don’t see any plans to kill him ” Sharon told the lawmaker; graduate, conquer the world, but first, eat. If you have a 30-second attention span, now’s your You can’t do anything on an empty stomach. Well, you can. But why? We’ve got pastas, salads, and oven-baked sandwiches. Congratulations, your first power lunch. dig in! free lemon ice with the purchase of any adult entree (excluding Double Slice Pizza) COLLEGE STATION: 400 Harvey Rd./694-5i99 WACO: 5201 W. Waco Dr. (across from Home Depot)/7]6-iiH 919 S. Sixth St. (across from BaylorVyjz-zgzg One coupon per person, per visit at participating Fazoli’s 5 " Restaurants only. Cannot be combineo with any other offer. Expires 12/31/03 Whether it’s for print, radio, or 30-second TV commercials, we need folks with both creative and analytical skills t° help us build great brands like Chick-fil-A, Corona, and Hyundai. Stop by Wehner 113 to learn more about account service careers at The Richards Group. Thursday, October 30, 6-S pm WE’VE GOT YOUR NUMBER 2003-04 Texas A&M University Campus Directory Listings of departments, administrators, faculty, staff, students, and other information about A&M, plus yellow pages. S TUDENTS: If you ordered a 2003-04 ( ► Campus Directory, stop by room 015 Reed McDonald Building (in the basement) to pick up your copy. Please bring your Student ID. If you did not order a Campus Directory as a fee option when you registered for Fall ’03 classes, you may purchase a copy for $3 plus tax in room 015 Reed McDonald (by cash, check Aggie Bucks or credit card). D EPARTMENTS: If you did not order Campus I 'Directories, you may charge and pick them up at 015 Reed McDonald. Cost is $3 per copy, Please bring a Student Media Work Order. Hours: 9 a.m.-4:30 rm. Monday-Friday Form has 5 receh Kenr Amei this « Prev of th Gerr Hein Unic T S; T f s thou mou Diej cour traff tain deni Cali in it F then stop crev Wen two men Juli 3,5( I of forn ing Juli; fror hre