"The street was transformed into a swimming pool of blood," said Ahmed Hameed, a shopkeeperBAGHDAD–In the deadliest day in Baghdad since the latest American-led security plan for the city took effect two months ago, close to 200 people were killed yesterday in a series of bombings that tore through predominantly Shiite crowds gathered at a bus depot, on busy shopping streets and near a police checkpoint, the authorities said.
"Some people were burned alive inside minibuses, nobody could reach them after the explosion," said a witness.
Countrywide, the number of people killed or found dead yesterday was 233
How atrocious, right? How vicious and evil and tragic, huh? Hardly. This is only the second worst day in Baghdad, and then even only after records started being kept in 2005. What's got our attention though? The 30+ victims of a single mad gunman with no other reason than to die while taking people with him. Yeah, I'm a cynical sonofabitch and I know it, but I'm not wrong. Ironically, it didn't take a gun to kill those 230+ people, just the same willful disregard for human life. Congratulations, world.