Another Bomb Blast in Baghdad Kills 19

A bomb exploded in the poor Sadr Ciy district killing 19 civilians and wounding 36 others, according to police sources. As a result, the Shiite workers gathered this morning in eastern Baghdad to look for work, had a terrible surprise waiting for them.


Police officials added that the explosion fitted the typical profile of bombings organized by minority Sunni Islamist groups, such as the faction of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's al-Qaeda in Iraq.

The bomb had been planted in a typically crowded place, where men used to gather in the morning in order to seek labor daily. Witnesses have also stated that such places, due to the fact that they are so greatly populated, have represented prime targets for such explosions in the past as well.

The bomb explosion comes at a very crucial time for Iraq, since the Iraqi parliament will reunite today in order to confirm the new national unity government. If the government receives the parliament's vote of confidence at 11 a.m., like it is supposed to, then this executive body might hold sovereign powers for a four year mandate of the legislature and hopefully end the stagnation and chaos that have roamed the country amidst sectarian bloodshed and seemingly imminent civil war.

The new government is likely to get the happy welcome sign from Washington, which has been extremely frustrated over the last five months due to the anarchical state of affairs present in Iraq after the end of the first democratic elections.