Baghdad: Killing Worshippers on Their Knees is Part of the Game

If killing is part of every day life in much of the Middle East, if it is so ingrained into the culture of thousands if not millions of people, why would the U.S. continue to stick itself in the middle of this barbaric field of horror?

A truck bomb struck a Shiite mosque Tuesday in central Baghdad, killing 78 people and wounding more than 200, even as about 10,000 U.S. soldiers northeast of the capital used heavily armored Stryker and Bradley fighting vehicles to battle their way into an al-Qaida sanctuary, Associated Press is reporting.

These killers did not look to see who is wearing what uniform, where their allegiance lies, young or old, women or men, of the same faith or not...they just plain wanted to kill as many as people as possible.

It did not matter that they were on their knees...defenseless.

I supported the ousting of Saddam Hussein, even by military means. As far as I'm concerned he was the weapon of mass destruction. However, to remain in a country where killing is as commonplace as pro football games in the U.S. during the fall, maybe it's time to take a harder look at why we are in Iraq.

AP: The thunderous explosion at the Khillani mosque in the capital's commercial area of Sinak sent smoke billowing over concrete buildings. Gunfire erupted shortly after the blast, which police said occurred in a parking lot near the mosque, causing the outer wall and a building just inside it to crumble.

Police and hospital officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they feared retribution, said at least 78 people were killed and 204 were wounded, adding that the toll could rise as bodies were pulled from the debris.

The mosque's imam, Sheik Saleh al-Haidari, said it was a truck bomb and the explosion hit worshippers as they were leaving afternoon prayers.

"This attack was planned and carried out by sick souls, damaging the mosque's outer wall and collapsing my office and the room above it," al-Haidari told The Associated Press by telephone.

"There are number of bodies being pulled from the rubble and a number of worshippers were killed or injured," he said, adding that he was not inside the mosque when the blast occurred.

This attack was planned and carried out by sick souls. I could not have said it better myself.

So do we continue to stick ourselves in the middle of an area where mass killings are as common as Sunday football games in the U.S. during the fall?

I have no solution. Immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops? Or, continued military presence? Neither option seems like a winning situation.

But there is hope in God, even at times when it seems there is no hope. He has a plan. We may not know about it, but our faith in Him can sustain us.

What is our part of the deal? How can we contribute?

We can pray for divine intervention in the Middle East. Let's leave the solution to Him.

He is are only hope during this evil game.