Tag Archives: attacks

What caused German defeat in Russia?

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{mosimage}Germany was initially on a winning streak against the Russians. The Germans along with the Axis forces and other forces which attached themselves to the German army later, were far more than the Soviet forces. This was the reason initially Germans started winning one area after another.

Germans had planned everything, therefore Luftwaffe worked diligently to provide the troops with required provisions and moving of troops from one place to another. Even after the attacks Soviets were at a loss, though ordered to launch a counter attack, Soviets were not well equipped to do so.

There were against some of unprecedented attacks on the Soviets by Lithuanians and the Estonians, this further complicated the situation for the Russians. Russians had been given deadlines to re-capture certain areas, which the disorganized Russian armies were not capable of, instead they were defeated in their regions and this led to further destruction of the Russian forces. The Russians did get help on the Northern front from Finland. The number of Russian troops increased from 2.6 million to 4 million. There were also casualties reported of about 4.5 million on the Russian side.

Though Germans were quite near to Moscow, they could not enter Moscow for a long time. Weather played tricks with them and therefore Moscow remained as far as ever. In December the German troops were within 15 miles of Moscow, yet there was a beginning of blizzards which affected their advancement. The German army was not equipped to handle such extreme cold conditions.

Russians did not have combat much since more number of casualties than the war were caused by frostbite and disease among the Germans and Axis armies. Within no time the German armies were functioning at only 50% strength with majority of them being sick or dead. The Russians, by then got time to arrange and stage a counter-attack, this massive counter attack made German go back up to some 200 miles.

The Germans had not anticipated certain things during the war. The first one was the resistance that the Soviets would put up against them. Though Soviets were outnumbered, each one of them was highly motivated to fight for their motherland. Secondly Hitler was over confidant about being in control even during the winters; he did not anticipate that the winter would affect the German armies to the effect that there would be heavy casualties due to these.

The result was that thought the Germans could not capture Moscow, they still had several land masses under their control. The war which lasted for four years saw a very bloody battle. There was huge amount of loss of life. The number of soldiers killed in this war are numbered anywhere between 8 million to 15 million. There is no proper data established on the number of civilian deaths during this period.

The German defeat was because of their over confidence and complete under-estimation of the Soviet forces and the fierceness with which they would fight the battle.

Operation Barbarossa – Germany defeated in Russia!

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{mosimage}Operation Barbarossa was a strategic move by the Nazis in order to end shortages of man power as well as oil and other requirements like cultivable land for the Germans. The policy of the Nazis in this war was to kill, enslave or to deport Russians from their space which would give the Nazis more living space.

This war was started by leaving the war with Great Britian half way and suddenly attacking the Russians. This war was planned by Hitler himself; this was the reason why the British were not further attacked. Hitler, according to his nature, was willing to take risks in this war too, therefore he disregarded the military top brass’s suggestion that they should finish of their fight with Britain first and later move on to Russia.

In order to start a war against Russia, Hitler created propaganda that the Germans now required living space. Most importantly what readied everyone for this war was the propaganda that the Russians were preparing to attack Germany. So this war would not be German attack but a pre emptive war for protecting themselves.

Operation Barbarossa began in June 1941 and lasted till December 1941, however on the Eastern front the war started in June 1941 to May 1945, this was when Nazis surrendered. Operation Barbarossa was one of the most deadliest and brutal war fought between any two countries.

Total number of soldiers involved in this war from the German side was more than four million including the German and the Axis armies, whereas the number of soldiers from the Soviet side was only 2.6 million. It is now a known fact that the Soviets were better at mobilizing their ground forces, than the Germans, this was the main reason for German defeat.

There were also factor which worked against the Soviets, one of them was due to Stalin’s rule several senior Army officials were serving terms in Siberia and Stalin had now kept Army chiefs who were more politically stable than were able for the job, this resulted in a general loss of direction for the troops. Since Stalin wanted to hear only what he wanted to hear he was misinformed about the strength of his troops. He also ignored repeated warnings from his own intelligence agencies that the Germans were preparing for war against the Soviets. This was the reason, though Soviets had time to prepare for the war, they were not ready when German actually attacked them. They were only able to carry out partial mobilization of troops.

Also the Russians were supposed to be on peace postings during the time they should have been preparing for the war. When the Axis and Germans carried out air attacks, they found all the air planes parked in clusters instead of being separated from each other, thus these made ready targets to the Germans and there was heavy duty loss of air support for the Russians.

The size of the German army along with the Axis forces and the Hungarian, Slovakian, Italian and Romanian troops joined them and formed additional five million troops against the mere 2.6 millions Russians. Russians therefore hugely outnumbered during this war.

THE BIRTH OF BANGLADESH

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India’s role in liberation of Bangladesh
{mosimage}The seeds of second armed conflict between India and Pakistan was sown on the soils of present day Bangladesh. In 1971, Awami league or the earstwhile East Pakistan won a simple majority in the general election held for the Pakistani parliament. The then President Yahya Khan & Prime Minister ZA Bhutto refused to hand over to Sheikh Mujibur Rehamn the reins and form a government.

The Army General (army of Pakistan mainly had West Pakistanies on their roles) ordered mass arrests of the East Pakistani political leaders and India on its part pledged a full support to East Pakistan. India set up relief camps in the eastern states bordering Bangladesh.

The United States of America a strong ally of Pakistan continued its support in terms of finance and military supplies. India too helped Bangladesh with buildup of its forces on the borders and supply of arms and ammunition. India on its part wanted the winter to set in on the far eastern borders so they would get more hard surfaced lands to invade and help Bangladesh than the moist soft marshy fields on the Bangladesh borders. As soon as winter set in the war seemed to the only answer, as Pakistan opened with air attacks on the western borders of India. Pakistan has assumed that the sudden attack would take India unprepaed but India had foreseen the circumstances and was fully prepared. The first air attacks did not do much damage. The Indian army not only stopped Pakistan in its tracks on the western border but also marched into the Pakistany territory caputirng parts of Punjab and and Kshmir which were later returned to Pakistan under the Shimla accord.

The US support to the Pakistan efforts were fuelled by their fears of Soviet spread in the subcontinent as India had already signed a treaty with erstwile USSR. US provided both monetray and military support in terms of latest arms and ammunition.

The Pakistan army was at a loss as the access to East Pakistan was stunted due to the distances involved and the vast streth of land lying between the two war locations. The East Pakistan army was starved of back up supplies and manpower needed to repulse or stop the fast rolling Indian Army juggernaugt. Eventuallyt East Pakistan unconditionally surrendered to the Indian army. Lt. General JS Arora and Lt Gen Ayub Khan signed the surrender on their countries behalf bringing an end to most emphatic victory of India over Pakistan. The blow to Pakistan army was very crushing in terms of morale and resources.

A new nation was born. Bangladesh a farmer dominated country of mainly Bengali muslims gained its independence from the cluthes of iron fisted Pakistani rulers. Shiekh Mujibur Rehman took over as its first president and Aawami league formed the first ever government of independent Bangladesh.

The Indians not only helped Bangladesh become independent but also helped in caring for the injured and rebuilding th destruction left behind by the war. Mukti Wahini was one of prime organistions catering to the needs of the civilian casulaties of the war.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

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Map of Pearl Harbor

Above: Map of Pearl Harbor (click map to enlarge)

United States which remained neutral in the World War II till the year 1941 was made to participate by the Japanese by attacking the Pearl Harbor on the Pacific coast. This resulted in participation of the USA in the World War II on the side of the Allied forces.

Pearl Harbor Under Attacked

Above: Pearl Harbor during sudden attacks by Japanese

Destruction of the Pearl Harbor did not mean destruction of the military, industrial and financial might of America. This was still intact. The Allied forces gained advantage by this. They were able to advance towards Japan steadily in order to stop its advancement all over the East and also Australia.

The Battle of Midway

Above: War scene during the battle of Midway

The Japanese and the Allies came face to face in two battles, Battle of Midway and Battle of Coral Sea, in both these battles Japan lost though it was more in number. Battle of Midway proved to be a decisive one. There were more battles, Battle of Guadalcanal and Battle of New Guinea; both these battles were won by the Allies.

War in Iwo Jima

Above: Army using artillery attack during the war of Iwo Jima

After these battles were won, the Japanese went on the back foot all throughout the war. In the 1945, US Marines had been able to gain control of the Ogasawa Islands, through the Battle of Iwo Jima, this resulted in beginning of the fall of the Japanese Empire.

Kamikaze Attacks

Above: Explosions caused by Kamikaze Attacks

Japan had not given up fighting yet. Japan was now volunteering the Kamikaze attacks, or suicide attacks, there were several of these on the attacks throughout the war. The Japanese were left with no choice after their supplies were strangled by the Allied forces.

Scientist Experimentation

Above: Scientist conducting experimentation

Japan was also heavily involved in war crimes. Unit 731 was especially known for the war crimes. Here humans especially Chinese, Filipinos, Koreans, Mongols, Soviets, etc. were used as subjects of experimentation. Japanese researched biological warfare in this unit. Plus there were several doctors, scientists involved in research in this unit. Though USA forgave the war criminals for information provided by them, Russia brought these to trials and hanged some of them for war crimes.

Corpses of Children and Civilian

Above: Corpses of Children and Civilian during the war

Japanese also carried out shameful acts of mass killing millions of innocents and civilians in different massacres. This was the Nanking massacre where Japanese captured the Chinese city of Nanjing and killed almost three million people in a carnage that went on for six weeks, among those who were killed were women and children.

Another massacre was the Sook Ching massacre, here Japense found out that the Chinese men were either loyal to the British or to the Chinese King, therefore, they decided to eliminate all those who were not loyal to them, they started searching for people not loyal to Japanese between the ages of 18 to 50 and killed them, by throwing them over the boat or killing them with a machine gun.

Victims of Nuclear Bombing

Above: Pile of burned and unburied bodies;disaster brought by nuclear bombing

Japan went on carrying out these atrocities throughout the war, however towards its defeat, America aggressively decided to take revenge on the Pearl Harbor bombings. America very consciously, with the help of allied forces, started carpet bombing cities of Japan. The main motive was to destroy the industrial might of Japan so that they would be left incapacitated. Then in the summer of 1945 America dropped nuclear bomb on Hiroshima and after 3 days Nagasaki, this led to subduing the Japanese totally, they called this bomb cruel bomb. Thousands died on spots and people kept dying because of the radiation of the nuclear bombs for weeks and years to come. America did this as a part of experimentation; this also brought the war to a halt.

World War II and involvement of Japan

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{mosimage}Japan was one of the countries which were involved in the World War II in the Asian reason. Japan again wanted more raw materials and resources to supports its industrialization.

Though the policies of the Japanese were close to Nazis they differed in one aspect that is fascism. Thought their policies towards the beginning of the war matched some of those of the Nazis there is very less similarity between the ideologies. Then too, Japan was a major ally of the Nazi Germany and one of the Axis power.

Japan attacked China in 1937 and thus started World War II in Asia. Japan attacked China and all the neighboring countries. Japan has tried to increase its borders in the South by attacking Australia, Russia, Philippine, USA all those who were bordering them.


Sino-Japan war was not the first time in history, in the year 1895, Japan had tried to gain control over Korea, Koreans requested help from the Chinese and the Chinese responded by sending troops. However, the outcome of this war was that Chinese lost and Japan succeeded in putting up a puppet Government in Seoul. However, due to defeat China had to handover the island of Formosa or Taiwan and parts of Manchuria to the Japanese. After this batter the Japanese became dominant in the region.


Another war was fought between Japan and Russia, this war was about gaining control over Korea and parts of Manchuria. The Japanese defeated Russians and gained respect since they became the first Asian country to defeat a super power like Russia. Japanese victory over Russia, pronounced Japanese as the most dominant in the region and thus made it easy for the Japanese to Annex Korea in 1910.


During the Second World War, Japan was involved in a series of crimes against the countries which it had invaded. Japan also started progressing in the Russian controlled region of Mongolia, and then Nanking in China. In Nanking, it carried out mass massacres of almost 3 million civilians which mainly included women and children, whose mutilated bodies spoke of the brutalities.

Japan thought only of the United States which would prove to be a danger to any of its policies of capturing the Far East. Therefore, it decided to attack America up to the effect that it should remain incapacitated, and that would give Japan time for war. So it carried out a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and caused destruction of US Navy Pacific Fleet and the Army Air force and the Marine Air Force. This also made USA enter the World War II on the side of the Allies.


Japan during this period fought other two battles in Malaya and Singapore, Japan won both these battles which were fought against the Commonwealth forces of British, Indian, Australian and the Malays. More than 1.3 million troops were taken as prisoners of war, including both the battles.


There were other battles by Japan, one in the Philippine and another one in Burma. But the most significant attack was on Australia, by the Japanese forces, on Darwin. It is said the Japanese raids on Japan were of more intensity that they were on the Pearl Harbor. The unprepared Australian town was devastated and suffered large number of casualties.


However, Allied forces were steadily advancing towards Japan. Japan had faced two defeats, though were larger in numbers, at the Battle of Coral Sea and Battle of Midway. The Allied forces also started damaging Japanese shipping routes. This created shortage of raw materials and resulted in strangling of the Japanese economy.

The Devastating World War II

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World War II took place among Allies and Enemies alike. It began in 1939 and finally reached its end in 1945. It was said to be the biggest and most devastating war in world’s history. Allies included the United Kingdom, the United States, Soviet Union, Australia, New Zealand and others. Enemies included Germany, Italy, Japan and others. The chief leaders of World War II were Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt, Hideki Tojo and Benito Mussolini.

Many disputes were going on within the borders of Germany regarding the Treaty of Versailles. Commencement of the Great Depression provided Hitler and his followers with a s stage that would ultimately give rise to World War II. Germany became enraged when the world powers would not do anything about the fascists. The capitalist democracies perceived the fascists as the rivals of communists and disliked the “anti-communist bulwark” which, were built next to the boundaries of the Soviet Union.

The “non-Aggression Pact” was signed in the fall of 1939 between Nazi Germany and Communist Russia. The Pact was to ensure that Nazi Germany and Communist Russia would become Allies of sorts. They would not attack or harm each other. Russia captured Poland from the East and Germany captured from the West. Great Britain and France vowed to assist Poland and thus war broke out. On December 7th 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands. The war became more diversified and complex when the United States became involved with full force. The United States used an atomic bomb which destroyed the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki of Japan. America and British initiated techniques of bombing which resulted in the destruction of entire cities and killed thousands of millions of civilians with the use of the atomic devices.

The use of military weapons and machines by the great powers caused many civilians to abandon their homes in search of safer locations. World War II not only gave rise to physical bloodshed but also changed the economic relationships between societies, Nations and individuals. The consequences of the war still influence world associations to date. World War II was differentiated by its savagery and lack of humanity.

IRAQ WAR

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{mosimage}There are many reasons the United States attacked Iraq. The attack on the United States in 2001 is the primary reason The United States went into Iraq to eradicate the training centers terrorists. The chief target was the Taliban in Afghanistan. After getting rid of the Al Qaeda terrorists, the next targeted areas were in Iraq and Iran due to intelligence reports of chemical and biological weapons facilities. This lead the United States to war on Iraq for not handing over the non-conventional weapons developed for mass destruction.

 

Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations passed an order on March 17th 2003 to inspectors, social workers, observers and support staff of the United Nations to evacuate from Iraq as there was a threat to launch war by the United States. Over 30 countries supported the United States in the war. On April 9th, 2003 the United States occupied Baghdad while celebration was going on in Iraq for the end of 24 years of rule under Saddam Hussein. On May 1st, 2003 President Bush declared the battle as won and announced a victory speech.

Saddam Hussein escaped from the hands of US soldiers and went underground. He was later caught by US soldiers near Tikrit. Saddam was found hiding at the bottom of spider-like holes which were eight feet below the ground. His place of hiding was made up of bricks and dirt surrounded with a carpet of polystyrene. His condition was poor when he was discovered.

Approximately 1000 United States troops have died in the Iraq War to date. 346 were found in intimidating situations and 1,129 coalition troops from the other 15 nations were killed. 25,000 Iraqis have also died to date. The United Nation approves the reform of the Iraqi political system and directs the formation of an interim constitution, with the Shiite Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and Sheik Ghazi Ajil Al-Yawar as a president. Saddam Hussein the then President of Iraq was hung at a military facility in Iraq at the Northern end of Baghdad on December 30th, 2006.

War and Neutrality

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Many people maintain that countries such as Holland, Sweden, Switzerland and Liechtenstein that remained neural during World War II actually served the purposes of the Third Reich by their neutrality. Many contend that there is no neutrality during war. This may be the case, since it is well documented that in all of these countries, people fleeing the Nazis were harboured, often at the significant risk.

But it does remain puzzling that a wealthy country like Switzerland, located in the middle of Europe, and thus in the midst of the war, was never invaded. With Germany to the north, occupied Austria to the East and Italy to the south, Switzerland was surrounded by Axis forces. Also, a large portion of France, Switzerland‘s neighbour to the West, was occupied by Germany during most of the war.

The Swiss policy of neutrality was born when the Final Act of the Congress of Vienna and the Second Treaty of Paris were drafted in 1815. Under these treaties, European governments recognized and guaranteed Swiss neutrality and it’s independence from foreign influence. Since this time, The Confederation of Helvetica has remained neutral during all wars. According to these treaties, Switzerland, as a neutral state, must fulfil several responsibilities. Under this definition, Switzerland cannot favor one party in a conflict over another, and it cannot allow its country to be used as an operational base for any party engaged in conflict. A neutral state must tolerate economic sanctions that combating parties may levy against it, and a neutral state may not wage war, but can protect itself if attacked. In return, a neutral state may not be violated by the combatants in a conflict and the country may not be invaded or used for troop transport.

What does the doctrine of neutrality mean during wartime in practical terms? During World War II, Switzerland remained neutral, but compliant with the codes outlined by the treaties, took steps to protect itself in case of attack. Switzerland, then as now, retains an active military. During World War II, the nation’s military forces were united under the lead of General Dufour, a resident of the French section of Switzerland. General Dufour maintained an active, fully trained army that could mount a response to any attack, including an airforce and boats that patrolled the major lakes that formed the borders of Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Italy. The idyllic Swiss countryside is littered today with bunkers and concrete tank barriers that were set in place to prevent the encroachment of enemy tanks. There were fewer than six major routes of entry into the country due to its mountainous nature, and these passes were studded with explosives; it was the intention of the Swiss government that if a German trespass was carried out, the passes would be blown up and the country sealed off from land aggression.

Switzerland continues to maintain an active military for protective purposes and every male does active service, followed by reservist activity until he is 35 years old. The country has an up to date air force with state of the art supersonic jets. Expert pilots perform daily missions; however, the country is so small that the planes traverse it within 15 minutes and air rights must be purchased from Italy and Germany to allow the planes to turn around.

Suicide Bombings in Ramadi

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{mosimage}There have been reports of yet another suicide attack in Ramadi, the town happened to be one of the peaceful towns in Iraq. There are also reports that the attacks were basically targeted to the checkpoint at Ramadi.

The suicide attack was through a truck, due to this attack the number of people killed is 35 and there are 50 people injured. The truck was driven to the checkpoint and the bomb was detonated later, this resulted in heavy destruction. Most of the dead were women and children.

This is not an isolated case of chlorine bombing, there have been several cases of such bombings in this area in this year. Therefore, such bombing does not come as a surprise to the military.

It is being said that the truck was loaded with several sacks of fertilizer above lot of chlorine and TNT. It is also said that the detonator released chlorine gas and therefore some of the affected have been treated with chlorine poisoning. This was not much serious as the affected were discharged within an hour of being admitted. This bombing took place in a highly crowded place therefore, the number of casualties has been higher than expected.

There were also other reports of violence from Iraq, this was from the city of Diwaniya, there were clashes between the US armed forces and the Iraqi forces. There is involvement of Shia Mehdi Army militia in these clashes. This has resulted in ban imposed over vehicles in this area. There is said to be a lot of presence of the Shia Mehdi Army in this area. This militia is loyal to Moqtada Sadr a radical cleric. The presence of this militia prompted that there be a large scale offensive launched against this militia by US in the area. There were reports of heavy fighting in this offensive from the side of the militia.

This place which happens to be about 180 kms south of Baghdad has recently been a witness to thousands of sectarian killings. There were also live bombs found on the road traveled by American and British soldiers in the area. Such bombs were the cause of killing of eight soldiers some days back.

Meanwhile there are still protests going on for the missing reporter Alan Johnston, for whose recovery there has not been much convincing action taken by the Palestine government. There have been reports that the reporter only the active one remaining in this region was abducted by the unknown forces some weeks back.

Iraq has been responding in some areas positively towards peace process carried out by the coalition army. The Coalition forces have also been successful in building up an Iraqi militia so that the law and order situation can be controlled by the Iraqi people granting them control over their regions. This is more important since American citizens are reported to be getting weary of the Iraq war since it has been on for some time now and want it to be over fast.

U.S. announces 9 troop deaths in Iraq

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BAGHDAD – A car bomb exploded Saturday in the Shiite holy city of Karbala as the streets were packed with people heading for evening prayers, killing at least 58 and wounding scores near some of the country’s most sacred shrines. Separately, the U.S. military announced the deaths of nine American troops, including three killed Saturday in a single roadside bombing outside Baghdad. With black smoke clogging the skies above Karbala, angry crowds hurled stones at police and later stormed the provincial governor’s house, accusing authorities of failing to protect them from the unrelenting bombings usually blamed on Sunni insurgents. It was the second car bomb to strike the city’s central area in two weeks. Near the blast site, survivors frantically searched for missing relatives. Iraqi television showed one man carrying the charred body of a small girl above his head as he ran down the street, while ambulances rushed to retrieve the wounded and firefighters sprayed water at fires in the wreckage, leaving pools of bloody water. The Americans killed in Iraq included five who died in fighting Friday in Anbar province, three killed when a roadside bomb struck their patrol southeast of Baghdad and one killed in a separate roadside bombing south of the capital. The deaths raised to 99 the number of members of the U.S. military who have died this month and at least 3,346 who have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The blast took place about 7 p.m. in a crowded commercial area near the shrines of Imam Abbas and Imam Hussein, major Shiite saints. Security officials said the car packed with explosives was parked near a cement barrier intended to keep traffic away from the shrines, which draw thousands of Shiite pilgrims from Iran and other countries. That suggested the attack, which occurred two weeks after 47 people were killed and 224 were wounded in a car bombing in the same area on April 14, was aimed at killing as many Shiite worshippers as possible. Salim Kazim, the head of the health department in Karbala, 50 miles south of Baghdad, said 55 people were killed and 168 wounded. The figures were confirmed by Abdul-Al al-Yassiri, the head of Karbala’s provincial council. “I did not expect this explosion because I thought the place was well protected by the police,” said Qassim Hassan, a clothing merchant who was injured by the blast. “I demand a trial for the people in charge of the security in Karbala.” Hassan, who spoke to a reporter from his hospital bed, said his brother and a cousin were still missing. “I regret that I voted for those traitors who only care about their posts, not the people who voted for them.” The U.S. military has warned that such bombings were intended to provoke retaliatory violence by Shiite militias, whose members have largely complied with political pressure to avoid confrontations with Americans during the U.S. troop buildup. The radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr launched a strong attack earlier Saturday on President Bush, calling him the “greatest evil” for refusing to withdraw American troops from Iraq. Al-Sadr’s statement was read during a parliament session by his cousin, Liqaa al-Yassin, after Congress ordered U.S. troops to begin leaving Iraq by Oct. 1. Bush pledged to veto the measure and neither the House nor the Senate had enough votes to override him. “Here are the Democrats calling you to withdraw or even set a timetable and you are not responding,” al-Sadr’s statement said. “It is not only them who are calling for this but also Republicans, to whom you belong.” “If you are ignoring your friends and partners, then it is no wonder that you ignore the international and Iraqi points of view,” he added. Al-Sadr led two armed uprisings against U.S. forces in 2004, and his Mahdi militia is believed responsible for much of Iraq’s sectarian killing. The U.S. military says he has fled to Iran, although his followers insist he is hiding in Iraq. Abdul-Al al-Yassiri, the head of the Karbala provincial council, said local authorities had raised fears that militants fleeing the Baghdad security crackdown were infiltrating their area. “We have contacted the interior minister and asked them to supply us with equipment that can detect explosives,” he said. Ali Mohammed, 31, who sells prayer beads in the area, said he heard the blast and felt himself hurled into the air. “The next thing I knew I opened my eyes in the hospital with my legs and chest burned,” he said. “This is a disaster. What is the guilt of the children and women killed today by this terrorist attack?” Crowds stormed the provincial government offices and the governor’s house, burning part of it along with three cars and scuffling with guards. Security forces detained several armed protesters, said Ghalib al-Daami, a provincial council member. Saturday’s bombing was the deadliest attack in Iraq since April 18, when 127 people were killed in a car bombing near the Sadriyah market in Baghdad — one of four bombings that killed a total of 183 people in the bloodiest day since a U.S.-Iraq security operation began in the capital more than 10 weeks ago. In all, at least 119 people were killed or found dead, including the bodies of 38 people killed execution-style — apparent victims of the so-called sectarian death squads mostly run by Shiite militias. In Baghdad, a mortar attack killed two people and wounded seven in the Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah, where the U.S. military recently announced it was building a three-mile long, 12-foot high concrete wall despite protests from residents and Sunni politicians that they were being isolated. The U.S. military also said Saturday that a suicide truck bomber attacked the home of a city police chief the day before in the Sunni insurgent stronghold of Anbar province, killing nine Iraqi security forces and six civilians. Police chief Hamid Ibrahim al-Numrawi and his family escaped injury after Iraqi forces opened fire on the truck before it reached the concrete barrier outside the home in Hit, 85 miles west of Baghdad.