National Security Watch: In Iraq, the deadliest day
It already ranks as Iraq's worst terrorist attack. But there were no explosions—and it might not have involved any insurgents. But such is the level of fear in Iraq that the mere rumor of a suicide bomber can be deadly. As many as 800 people—and likely hundreds more—were killed today in a violent stampede triggered during a Shiite pilgrimage in Baghdad. Hundreds more were injured in the frantic scramble.
In an annual ritual, at least 1 million Shiite pilgrims were on their way to one of the most revered Shiite shrines to pay respects to a famous ninth-century Shiite saint when someone yelled that a suicide bomber was in their midst. It remains unclear whether this was a runaway rumor or an orchestrated attack, but the panic quickly triggered a stampede on one of Baghdad's bridges over the Tigris River. Some were crushed to death; others were killed when one of the guardrails broke, sending many in the crowd plunging headlong into the river far below. Officials reported that many of the dead were women and children.
Earlier in the morning, insurgents had fired mortars at the shrine where Shiites were headed. Even before today, Baghdad was tense in the wake of a contentious negotiation over a proposed draft of a constitution, continued insurgent violence, and a spate of low-level sectarian violence that has generally escaped the attention of Western press reports.
Already, the Baghdad rumor mill has spread tales of who, if anyone, might have been behind the attack. The first area of suspicion is a large Sunni neighborhood—just over the ill-fated bridge from the Shiite shrine. In some ways, however, it almost doesn't matter whether the stampede was actually triggered by an insurgent.
Either way, it's another victory for the insurgents in their campaign of intimidation and violence.
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