Iraqi Sunnis Mark End of Ramadan
By VOA News
23 October 2006
Iraqi Sunnis pray at Baghdad＇s 14th Ramadan mosque at first day of Eid al-Fitr, Oct. 23, 2006
Iraqi Sunnis are marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan Monday, one day after bomb blasts killed at least nine people preparing for the holiday.
The deadly explosions Sunday included blasts in crowded markets in Baghdad as people bought provisions for the Eid al-Fitr holiday. In Baquba, north of Baghdad, gunmen ambushed a convoy of police recruits, killing 15. Shi＇ites in Iraq will mark Eid al-Fitr Tuesday or Wednesday.
Iraqis look at carnage left after suicide bomber detonated his vest Sunday evening in central Baghdad＇s Palestine street, Oct. 23, 2006
The U.S. military also announced that five U.S. troops were killed in combat Sunday, bringing the death toll of American forces in Iraq this month to 85, the highest monthly toll this year.
In other news, a senior U.S. diplomat, Alberto Fernandez, director of public diplomacy in the State Department＇s bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, retracted remarks made in an interview with the Arab television network al-Jazeera.
In a statement Sunday, Fernandez said he realized he "seriously misspoke" when he said the United States had shown "arrogance" and stupidity" in Iraq.
President Bush has been reviewing with his advisors the situation in Iraq. The Bush administration has denied a report in The New York Times that the administration was drawing up a timetable for the Iraqi government to stem the sectarian violence and take a greater role in security.
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