17 August 2010 Baghdad bombings

The 17 August 2010 Baghdad bombings were two attacks in

Security forces have been targets of attack in the months prior to this bombing. The United States began to reduce its troop strength in Iraq, from just under 60,000 at the time of this bombing, to about 50,000 by 31 August, which was scheduled to be the formal end of combat operations.[5]

The bombing was the first major attack of the year's Ramadan, the most venerated month in the Islamic calendar.^[6]

Bombings

First bombing

Unemployed people had queued for hours outside an Army recruiting centre when a

An interior ministry official said the majority of the victims were army recruits but there were also some soldiers who were protecting the recruitment centre among the casualties.[1] The casualties among these soldiers were at least three dead and eight wounded, with the overall total killed at over 60.^[6]

Second bombing

On the same day another attack occurred at 21:30 in the majority

Islamic State of Iraq, which includes al-Qaida in Iraq, within three days claimed the first of the two attacks, saying it targeted "a group of Shias and apostates who sold their faith for money and to be a tool in the war on Iraqi Sunnis",^[3] and boasting that its operative easily passed through checkpoints before detonating his explosives belt in a crowd of officers and recruits outside army headquarters.^{[citation needed]}

Reaction

• A White House spokesman said "There obviously are still people who want to derail the advances that the Iraqi people have made toward democracy. But they are firmly on track. And we're confident that we're moving toward the end of our combat mission. The fact that there is a lot of competition for who is going to be running that country is a good thing."^[9]

See also

• List of terrorist incidents, 2010

References