Bombings Strike Soccer Fans in Baghdad

An Iraqi boy waves a toy pistol in central Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, July 25, 2007, after the country's national soccer team beat South Korea in the Asian Cup to reach the tournament's final.(AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed ) (Khalid Mohammed - AP)

The revelers were celebrating Iraq's semifinal win over South Korea in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday. Iraq won a tense penalty shootout 4-3 after the two sides played to a scoreless draw in 90 minutes regulation and 30 minutes extra time.

Iraq will now play Saudi Arabia on Sunday in Jakarta, Indonesia for the championship.

The casualties from the two suicide attacks were not the day's only soccer tragedies.

Celebratory gunfire that filled the Baghdad sky with bullets within seconds of the victory killed at least three people and wounded 19, according to initial police reports.

State Iraqiya television, perhaps eager not to diminish Iraqi joy, withheld the news of any deaths for at least four hours.

Five people had also been killed in the gunfire celebration after Sunday's quarterfinal win over Vietnam and the surprise 3-1 triumph over Australia in the group stages.

After Wednesday's victory, thousands danced, beat drums and sang. Traffic was snarled in much of the capital as cars, Iraqi flags flying from their windows, moved slowly through choking crowds of fans on foot. Motorists honked their horns and young people sprayed water on each other.

Police and soldiers joined in the celebrations, firing their assault rifles in the air, ignoring an appeal against gunfire from the military chiefs.

The successful run in the Asian Cup led many here to see the mixed sectarian team as proof the country could unite despite years of sectarian violence.

Politicians wasted no time in trying for propaganda gain, heaping praise on "The Lions of the Two Rivers" as a symbol of the Iraqi unity, ignoring their own failure to bridge the sectarian divide in Iraq that many see as a result of narrow political agendas.

Nouri al-Maliki, the embattled Shiite prime minister, led all others.

After the quarterfinal win over Vietnam, he appeared on television and spoke to the team: "Today you flew high the Iraqi flag. You created happiness with the participation of all Iraqis." He dispatched a close adviser to represent him in Wednesday's semifinal clash in Kuala Lumpur.

Spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told state television the prime minister was trying to speak to the players individually to congratulate them.

"Our eyes were filled with tears by the victory," said al-Dabbagh.

President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, proudly announced that he was the first to congratulate the team on its victory. A statement issued by his office said the team's victory "was a source of pride for Iraqis of all sects."