MichaelMoore.com

Elusive suicide bombers threaten Iraq's future

By Michael Georgy / Reuters

BAGHDAD, May 10 - They do not fear death -- they seek it. They strike at will, killing or maiming with thousands of pieces of shrapnel. Once they are spotted, it is too late.

Suicide bombers threaten to keep Iraq unstable, challenging a new government that has promised to impose security after two years of bloodshed.

Militants struck again in central Baghdad on Tuesday. One blew up his vehicle near a U.S. army convoy, killing eight Iraqis and wounding 23, police said.

Hours later, a second bomber detonated his car outside a base on the banks of the Tigris in Baghdad for police who patrol the river. Three policemen were wounded.

Police sealed off the areas but the assailants were ripped apart as shrapnel was sprayed in every direction, leaving few clues.

Suicide bombs have escalated sharply over the last two weeks, killing hundreds of people, from policemen on patrol to civilians at a crowded vegetable market. There are no signs the supply of people willing to blow themselves up is decreasing.

Iraq's new leaders fear suicide bombings could spill over into sectarian civil war.

Officials believe militants cross Iraq's porous borders from across the Arab world then join a murky guerrilla network bent on driving out U.S. troops and eliminating Iraqi security forces, who have lost hundreds of comrades to suicide bombings.

Western security companies say the bombers quickly adapt tactics to evade the authorities. Four militants rather than one sometimes drive a single car bomb to try to fool police.

Some now shave off their long beards -- a sign that identifies them as devout Muslims -- before launching attacks.

INSPIRED BY ZARQAWI

According to videos released by insurgents to recruit suicide bombers, their journey to death often starts in the desert, where they say final prayers and embrace fellow fighters before embarking on their missions.

Some drive cars packed with bombs. Others strap themselves with explosives and walk towards their victims in attacks similar to one that killed as many as 60 in Arbil last week.

Iraqi officials say the network led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al Qaeda leader in Iraq, is behind most suicide bombings.

Armed with a burning desire for martyrdom, militants are challenging an Iraqi government which has yet to announce a plan to end the carnage more than three months after elections.

Even if a major crackdown is launched, some officials say it is nearly impossible to stop suicide bombers.

Standing with shrapnel in his leg after one of the bombings on Tuesday, Sadik Mustafa described a familiar pattern of death.

"A red Opel stopped here. Police arrived and asked why it stopped here. Then, when U.S. armoured vehicles passed, it exploded," he said.

On Saturday, two suicide car bombers attacked a foreign security convoy on the same street, killing at least 22 people including two Americans.

Mehdi Daoud, who works for a transport company, says he doesn't bother trying to figure out which roads are risky.

"No roads in Iraq are safe. Suicide bombers can attack at any time. Every Iraqi has just become a sacrifice," he said.

Security fears have created a vicious circle along the deadly airport road. Security consultants say U.S. troops are slowing down traffic to keep potential assailants away but the backlog of vehicles provides opportunities for suicide bombers.

Like other policemen, Hussein Jaber feels especially vulnerable. He wonders whether a suicide bomber is about to attack every time he scans the traffic:

"How can we do anything when we have no information on suicide bombers? How will we know they are coming?"