Sunday, January 30, 2005

CNN: unconfirmed reports of a fourth suicide bomber in Baghdad.

As Chester notes in his 2:00am blog update, hundreds of suicide bombers had been predicted.

AP update: current story on the Iraq elections, noting in particular

turnout was brisk in some Shiite Muslim and mixed Shiite-Sunni neighborhoods. Even in the small town of Askan in the so-called "triangle of death" south of Baghdad - a mixed Sunni-Shiite area - 20 people waited in line at each of several polling centers. More walked toward the polls.

[...] the polls were deserted in heavily Sunni cities like Fallujah, Ramadi and Samarra west and north of Baghdad. [...] The governor of the mostly Sunni province of Salaheddin, Hamad Hmoud Shagti, urged voters over the radio: "This is a chance for you as Iraqis to assure your and your children's future." [... updates on mortar attacks...] Final results will not be known for seven to 10 days, but a preliminary tally could come as early as late Sunday.