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A hideous twist adds to jolt of Iraq blasts

BAGHDAD - The first blast brought news Baghdad had heard before: A bomber had hit a popular pet market that had suffered through such attacks in the past. Then came news of a second bomb at a bird market.

In the hours to come - as the scope of the attacks became clear - the scenes of scattered bodies and destroyed market stalls brought back memories of days Baghdad's residents had hoped were behind them.

But there was still one more ugly twist to Friday's carnage: Iraqi officials said the bombs were carried by two mentally retarded women who were possibly used as unwitting suicide bombers among the people wandering amid the sounds of squeaking animals and chirping birds.

The blasts killed at least 91 people and wounded scores of others, Iraqi officials said. It was the deadliest day since Washington flooded the capital with extra troops last spring.

After months of steadily improving security, Baghdad was hit hard. The coordinated blasts, coming 20 minutes apart, appeared to reinforce U.S. claims that al-Qaida in Iraq may be increasingly desperate and running short of men willing or available for such attacks.

The blasts also served as a reminder that Iraqi insurgents are constantly shifting their strategies to try to unravel recent security gains in the country. Women have been used in greater frequency in suicide attacks.

Brig. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, Iraq's chief military spokesman in Baghdad, said the women had Down's syndrome and may not have known they were on suicide missions. He said the bombs were detonated by remote control.

In Washington, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the bombings prove al-Qaida is "the most brutal and bankrupt of movements" and will strengthen Iraqi resolve to reject terrorism.

Iraqi officials raised the death toll to 91 from 73 early today, but they were unable to immediately provide a casualty breakdown in the two bombings.

Earlier, officials had said the first bomb was detonated about 10:20 a.m. in the central al-Ghazl market. Police and hospital officials said at least 46 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded.

Police said the woman wearing the bomb sold cream in the mornings at the market and was known to locals as "the crazy lady."

The pet bazaar has been bombed repeatedly, but with violence declining in the capital, the market had regained popularity as a shopping district and place to stroll on Fridays, the Muslim day of prayer.

But this Friday, it again became a scene straight out of the worst days of the conflict. Firefighters scooped up debris scattered among pools of blood, clothing and pigeon carcasses.

About 20 minutes after the first attack, the second female suicide bomber was blown apart in a bird market in a predominantly Shiite area in southeastern Baghdad. Initial reports had said as many as 27 people died and 67 were wounded, police and hospital officials said.

The U.S. military in Iraqi issued a statement that shared "the outrage of the Iraqi people."

Associated Press records show that since the start of the war, at least 169 people have been killed in at least 17 attacks or attempted attacks by female suicide bombers, including Friday's blasts.

[Last modified February 2, 2008, 01:46:40]