A suicide bomb trainer at an isolated terrorist training camp in Baghdad accidentally used a belt packed with live explosives while performing a demonstration for a group of militants on February 10, killing himself and 21 others. People in Iraq and Syria have endured suicide attacks at marketplaces, mosques, funerals and soccer games on a daily basis and so the irony of this incident was not lost to them.
Raad Hashim, who has witnessed many such attacks in Baghdad said, “This is so funny. It shows how stupid they are, those dogs and sons of dogs. But, it also gives me pain as I remember all the innocent people that were killed here. This is God showing justice. This is God sending a message to the bad people and the criminals in the world, to tell them to stop the injustice and to bring peace. Evil will not win in the end. It’s always life that wins over death.”
Iraq is witnessing its worst violence in more than five years – with approximately 9,000 people killed last year and almost 1,000 people killed last month. Apart from the 22 militants that were killed in the explosion on February 10, 15 others were wounded. Police officials also found stores of heavy weapons and other explosives packed in at least 10 vehicles, ready for operations, at the site.
Another resident in the area said, “I hope that their graves burn and all the rest of them burn as well. I was not happy with the number killed, though: I wanted more of them to die, as I remember my friend who was killed by a suicide bomber in 2007.”
The irony was also relished by many on Twitter. With the mishap being described as the “fail of the century”, jokes kept pouring in on the microblogging site.
Suicide bomb trainer accidentally blows up his class. http://t.co/Dd1OTFhQHr Knotty theological problem: do they still get the virgins?
— Richard Dawkins (@RichardDawkins) February 11, 2014
#IncompetentSuicideBombTeacherMovies Dismember the Titans
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) February 10, 2014
#Shoutout to student suicide bombers in Iraq's terrorists class for blowing themselves up. School's out... forever!!! #idiots
— Angel Garcia (@Bklyn57) February 11, 2014
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria terrorist group was long linked with Al Qaeda, but was recently disowned the mother organization. As the attacks on Iraqi civilians in Baghdad continue to rise, the Islamic State and other Sunni extremist groups have taken over western Anbar Province where they control the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi. Terrorist training camps have been set up in the mountains of Diyala Province while northern Ninevah Province has become the gateway for jihadis traveling from Iraq to Syria. Mosul has emerged as the financial hub for these militant groups with estimates of millions of dollars pouring in each month.
