Iraq president asks world's help against 'forces of darkness'

AFP, September, 2005

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has urged world leaders to help overcome the terrorist "forces of darkness" seeking to destabilise the country.

In a speech to the UN summit in New York, Talibani said the war on terror required "diverse" international participation and spoke of the "desperate need" of the Iraqi people for overseas support.

"Today, Iraq is facing one of the most brutal campaigns of terror at the hands of the forces of darkeness," he said.

The president spoke just hours after suicide bombers struck Baghdad for the second day, killing at least 23 people, after a devastating string of car bomb attacks left some 150 dead and several hundred more wounded.

The new wave of bombings followed a declaration of all-out war...