73 dead in Baghdad bombing

73 people died in an explosive attack in Baghdad today, the deadliest attack since the beginning of the U.S. military surge.

According to a report by the Associated Press, the explosives were strapped to two women with Down syndrome, and were detonated by remote control.

The Washington Independent’s Spencer Ackerman reported yesterday that violence has been on the rise in Iraq, in anticipation of the withdrawal of some U.S. troops this spring.

According to the AP report, the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, stated, “There is nothing [insurgents] won’t do if they think it will work in creating carnage and the political fallout that comes from that.”