U.S., Iraqis vow to crack down after deadly bombings in Baghdad

BAGHDAD -- A top U.S. commander said Saturday that two bombings carried out by women wrapped in bombs that killed nearly 100 people in Baghdad underscored that al-Qaida in Iraq remains a serious threat, but he vowed the military would "not give back any terrain" to the terror network.

Iraqis in Baghdad demanded more protection for markets, saying one of the bombers wasn't searched because she was known as a local beggar and the male guards were reluctant to search women because of Islamic sensitivities.

Friday's blasts were the deadliest in the capital since an April 18 suicide car bombing that killed 116 and wounded 145.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki vowed to crack down on the militants. "The ugliness of this crime will not deter our security forces. It will increase our determination to continue crushing the dens of the terrorists," he said in a statement.

Some called on authorities to step up measures to protect the market, which unlike many others in the capital is not surrounding by concrete barriers.

"Every place in Baghdad is exposed to terrorist attacks," said survivor Badir Sami, 42. "I demand tighter security measures at popular markets like this, where many people gather especially on Fridays."

Al-Maliki, meanwhile, turned his attention to the northwestern city of Mosul, promising what he said would be the final showdown with insurgents led by al-Qaida in Iraq said to have taken refuge there to escape U.S.-led offensives in Baghdad and surrounding areas.

U.S. commanders in northern Iraq have said the battle to oust al-Qaida in Iraq from its last urban stronghold will not be a swift strike as al-Maliki suggested, but rather a grinding campaign that will require more firepower.

Iraqi police and military units have been dispatched to the area, and al-Maliki said he was eager to "end the matter as soon as possible," although he gave no start date. The prime minister also named the commander of the security operations in and around Mosul as newly promoted Lt. Gen. Riyadh Jalal, a senior officer in the region.

"We have come here to start the march of liberating Mosul from terrorists and outlaws," al-Maliki said during a meeting with Iraqi military commanders in the city, which is the capital of Nineveh province. "The stabilization of this province will send the last message that al-Qaida and the remnants of the former regime are defeated."

---

Associated Press Writer Sameer N. Yacoub contributed to this report.