Official figures show around 1,000 people killed in Iraq in past week

Source: CCTV.com | 02-05-2007 14:11

Iraq's government is determined to crack down on militants in the country. The renewed vow came on Sunday, in the wake of a massive suicide truck bomb, which killed 135 people at a Baghdad market on Saturday.

Despite the government's resolve, however, violence is continuing unabated in the Iraqi capital. It also pushed the government over the brink.

Ali Al-Dabbagh, Iraqi government spokesman, said, "We are going to eliminate the violence that is used to threaten the people of different religious sects and ethnic communities."

But the question is, how will the Iraqi government achieve that goal? This is a question that is getting thornier for the US government as well, particularly as its military helicopters were gunned down by insurgents. These helicopters are heavily relied on for the transportation of US troops and the launching of air strikes.

William Caldwell, US major general, said, "There's been an ongoing effort ever since we've been here to target our helicopters obviously based on what we've seen, we are already making adjustments in our tactics, techniques and procedures as to how we employ our helicopters in support of Iraqi security forces and coalition forces and we are making those appropriate changes."

But continuing violence is allowing no such time for these adjustments to be made.

Among a fresh wave of attacks a series of bomb blasts and drive-by shootings have killed up to 16 people on Sunday in Baghdad. And an Iraqi state television anchor was reportedly to be critically injured by US force firing on her car near the Foreign Ministry in the capital.

Also in Baghdad, grief-stricken people set up large funeral tents to mourn for those killed in Saturday's bombing.

Official figures show around 1,000 people have been killed in Iraq in the past week alone as a result of the suicide bombings, shootings, and fighting that are tearing the country apart.

Editor:Du Xiaodan