firebandit
26th Jul '07 Thu, 08:10
25 Jul 2007, 2256 hrs IST,AFP
BAGHDAD: Bombers murdered at least 26 Iraqi football fans on Wednesday as they cheered their team's victory in the Asia Cup semi-finals but failed to stop thousands more from sharing a rare moment of national joy.
After the national team beat South Korea in a tense penalty shoot-out in Kuala Lumpur, thousands of Iraqis poured into the streets of Baghdad cheering, waving flags and firing assault rifles wildly into the air.
For the vast majority of the city it was a moment of shared fun, but the country's four-year-old civil conflict did not stay dormant for long.
One massive car bomb detonated in the formerly upscale western neighbourhood of Mansour in the middle of a crowd, killing at least nine men.
Another 62 people, including women and children, were wounded in the blast, according to an official at Baghdad's Yarmukh hospital.
"I was in a car with my friends, people all around were celebrating and then there was a huge explosion and a lot of fire," said an eyewitness at the scene, who asked not to be named.
In a separate attack another car bomb went off in Zayuna, a mixed neighbourhood near the city centre, killing at least 17 people and wounding 60 others, security officials and medics at two hospitals said.
It was not clear who planted the bombs, but similar attacks have in the past been blamed on Sunni insurgent groups such as Al-Qaida's Iraqi affiliate who kill to spread chaos and undermine the US-backed government.
Another two people were killed by stray rounds when citizens rushed into the streets and fired in the air, a long-standing Iraqi tradition that has grown more lethal as firearms have proliferated in the war-torn capital.
Immediately following the victory Baghdad was rocked by the sound of assault rifle and machine-gun fire as police, soldiers, insurgents and residents put aside their differences and fired skywards.
Iraqi state television showed thousands of people pouring into the streets across the country, from the northern Kurdish city of Irbil to the Shiite strongholds of the south, all wearing team jerseys and waving national flags.
Brigadier General Qassim Atta, the spokesman for Baghdad's five-month-old security plan, asked people to refrain from the time-honoured tradition of firing guns in the air in celebration, but the calls went unheeded.
In central Baghdad Iraqi policemen and soldiers danced in circles in the streets, waving pistols, assault rifles and national flags.
During the game itself, Baghdad's coffee shops and restaurants were packed with Iraqis in team jerseys, standing and roaring at every near-goal scored by a mixed squad drawn from Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish communities.
"Even though we are living in distressing times we follow the matches as though we are following our players into a battle," said Rahim Sahid, as he watched the game at a coffee shop in the upscale Karrada commercial district.
"The matches make us very nervous but our players are heroes whether they win or not. They bring joy to our hearts and to everyone in our society, children, women, old men, have all been waiting for these beautiful moments."
Many expressed the hope that their team's victory would at least temporarily turn the eyes of the world away from the relentless stream of bombings and killings that have otherwise distinguished the country in recent years.
"It is a victory for the entire country. No one makes us feel happier or more victorious than our national team," said Ahmed Hadi, a 24-year-old university student.
"We had great confidence that our team's players would prove our courage in achieving this victory which raises the flag of our country before the world."
Iraq will now meet Saudi Arabia in Sunday's final -- its first since the country began participating in the Asia Cup in 1972 -- after beating South Korea 4-3 in a penalty shootout in Kuala Lumpur.
"This victory helps us to forget all our daily sufferings, it takes us away from our grief and pain," Arsan Azhar, 23, said.
"In times like these it's almost an obligation to follow the team, and the players know that we don't need any more sorrow."
BAGHDAD: Bombers murdered at least 26 Iraqi football fans on Wednesday as they cheered their team's victory in the Asia Cup semi-finals but failed to stop thousands more from sharing a rare moment of national joy.
After the national team beat South Korea in a tense penalty shoot-out in Kuala Lumpur, thousands of Iraqis poured into the streets of Baghdad cheering, waving flags and firing assault rifles wildly into the air.
For the vast majority of the city it was a moment of shared fun, but the country's four-year-old civil conflict did not stay dormant for long.
One massive car bomb detonated in the formerly upscale western neighbourhood of Mansour in the middle of a crowd, killing at least nine men.
Another 62 people, including women and children, were wounded in the blast, according to an official at Baghdad's Yarmukh hospital.
"I was in a car with my friends, people all around were celebrating and then there was a huge explosion and a lot of fire," said an eyewitness at the scene, who asked not to be named.
In a separate attack another car bomb went off in Zayuna, a mixed neighbourhood near the city centre, killing at least 17 people and wounding 60 others, security officials and medics at two hospitals said.
It was not clear who planted the bombs, but similar attacks have in the past been blamed on Sunni insurgent groups such as Al-Qaida's Iraqi affiliate who kill to spread chaos and undermine the US-backed government.
Another two people were killed by stray rounds when citizens rushed into the streets and fired in the air, a long-standing Iraqi tradition that has grown more lethal as firearms have proliferated in the war-torn capital.
Immediately following the victory Baghdad was rocked by the sound of assault rifle and machine-gun fire as police, soldiers, insurgents and residents put aside their differences and fired skywards.
Iraqi state television showed thousands of people pouring into the streets across the country, from the northern Kurdish city of Irbil to the Shiite strongholds of the south, all wearing team jerseys and waving national flags.
Brigadier General Qassim Atta, the spokesman for Baghdad's five-month-old security plan, asked people to refrain from the time-honoured tradition of firing guns in the air in celebration, but the calls went unheeded.
In central Baghdad Iraqi policemen and soldiers danced in circles in the streets, waving pistols, assault rifles and national flags.
During the game itself, Baghdad's coffee shops and restaurants were packed with Iraqis in team jerseys, standing and roaring at every near-goal scored by a mixed squad drawn from Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish communities.
"Even though we are living in distressing times we follow the matches as though we are following our players into a battle," said Rahim Sahid, as he watched the game at a coffee shop in the upscale Karrada commercial district.
"The matches make us very nervous but our players are heroes whether they win or not. They bring joy to our hearts and to everyone in our society, children, women, old men, have all been waiting for these beautiful moments."
Many expressed the hope that their team's victory would at least temporarily turn the eyes of the world away from the relentless stream of bombings and killings that have otherwise distinguished the country in recent years.
"It is a victory for the entire country. No one makes us feel happier or more victorious than our national team," said Ahmed Hadi, a 24-year-old university student.
"We had great confidence that our team's players would prove our courage in achieving this victory which raises the flag of our country before the world."
Iraq will now meet Saudi Arabia in Sunday's final -- its first since the country began participating in the Asia Cup in 1972 -- after beating South Korea 4-3 in a penalty shootout in Kuala Lumpur.
"This victory helps us to forget all our daily sufferings, it takes us away from our grief and pain," Arsan Azhar, 23, said.
"In times like these it's almost an obligation to follow the team, and the players know that we don't need any more sorrow."