U.S. shows photos of Iraq bombers

Senior American and Iraqi military officials produced photographs today that they said showed two suicide bombers who participated Friday in bombings at two popular pet markets that resulted in Baghdad’s deadliest attacks in months.

The two photographs depicted the lifeless faces of two dark-haired women with oblique eye fissures, a wide gap between the eyes and a flat nose bridge – all characteristics consistent with Down’s syndrome.

“There are some indications that these two women were mentally handicapped,” said Army Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, the commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad. “From what I see, it appears that the suicide bombers were not willing martyrs – they were used by Al Qaeda [in Iraq] for these horrific attacks.”

Hammond showed the photographs to a reporter for The Times and a handful of other news organizations, but he declined to release the classified photographs “out of respect for the deceased.”

“These two women were likely used because they didn’t know what was happening and they were less likely to be searched,” Hammond said.

Some officials said women carried the bombs at both markets. American and Iraqi officials say such methods are signs that insurgents loyal to the militant group Al Qaeda in Iraq are struggling to recruit Iraqi men and are finding it difficult to maneuver large vehicle-borne bombs past checkpoints.

Eyewitness accounts remained murky. Some witnesses said both women appeared to be mentally disabled, and others said at least one attack was carried out by a blond woman with no visible disability.

The apparently coordinated attacks occurred 10 minutes apart at two Baghdad pet markets.

According to Iraqi police, 99 people were killed and 208 were wounded. Hammond said 27 were killed and 53 wounded. Both sides were unable to say why their accounts differed.

Despite the carnage, Hammond said, “People are returning to their neighborhoods and peace is returning to Baghdad.”

garrett.therolf@latimes.com