April 13, 2016: Terrorist bomb fruit and vegetable market in Iraq

BAGHDAD, IRAQ – Terrorists may have an issue with certain political positions or religions, but how could they be against fruits and vegetables?

Here I am again with yet another Monty Python reference.

There is a great sketch from 1969 called “Self-Defence” wherein a self-defence instructor played by John Cleese is teaching his students how to defend themselves against attackers wielding fresh fruit as weapons. When the sketch begins, we learn that he has been teaching the class for weeks and the students feel they have learnt all they can about defending themselves against fruit-wielding assailants.

John Cleese insists that his lessons are useful and to demonstrate he gets one student, played by Graham Chapman, to come at him brandishing a banana. But, before Chapman can reach him, he shoots him dead.

The lesson here? Fruit do not provide any kind of defense.

So what, if anything, are civilians to do if they are attacked in a fruit and vegetable market?

On this day in 2016

A bomb exploded near the Rasheed fruits and vegetables market in southern Baghdad killing one person and injuring five others. The attack was not claimed by any group in particular and the perpetrators remain unknown.

A security force rushed to the area and transferred the wounded to a nearby hospital for treatment and the dead body [sic] to the forensic medicine department, while a raid was carried out to search for the perpetrators of the bombing.

Anonymous witness to the attack

Regardless of who is responsible for this heinous attack, it is never acceptable albeit far too common to target unarmed civilians.

After all, a banana is no defense against a gun, much less a bomb.

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