When the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad was bombed in August, some said it was because Jordan had tacitly supported the US invasion of Iraq. When the UN compound was bombed a fortnight later, it was suggested it was because the UN had effectively recognized the US occupation. No one can offer such excuses this time. No one can remotely suggest that the Red Crescent/Red Cross was targeted because it is an American stooge. It has stood by the Iraqi people through a decade of hardship. It was there when Saddam Hussein was in power. It stood out firmly against the US-led invasion. Its only objective is to help.

For that reason, the response to Monday’s carnage in Baghdad can only be utter revulsion. The attack on the Red Crescent/Red Cross and the three other coordinated blasts were no outburst against occupation. The target was the Iraqis. The target was compassion and charity.

By attacking the Red Crescent, those behind this outrage seek to make the lives of ordinary Iraqis even more miserable. They want to cause maximum chaos, maximum suffering, maximum distress — with the ultimate objective of maximum destabilization. To strike on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan is an affront to Islam.

It was a cold, calculated act, and there was a cold, calculating mind behind it. It was organized with skill and precision. The obvious author is Saddam Hussein, out there, hiding somewhere — although what this attack says is that he has only suicide bombers at his disposal. They are not in infinite supply.

Who are these bombers? The US has said that they may be foreigners, pointing the finger specifically at Syrians. Given the state of US-Syrian relations, this could be deliberate disinformation, designed to stir up Iraqi resentment against its neighbor. But the allegation cannot be dismissed out of hand. A distinction has to be drawn between attacks against US troops and suicide bombings. As far as the former are concerned, there is every reason to believe that supporters of the old regime are involved. On the other hand, there has been a growing suspicion that the suicide bombers are not Iraqis.

The Baath Party was wholly secular. It members did not believe in martyrdom. There is good reason to believe that the remnants of Saddam Hussein’s machine are using foreign idealists to die on their behalf.

It would be an even bigger tragedy if the Red Crescent and the other many humanitarian agencies working in the country were now to decide to pull out because of this act of evil. Never has Iraq’s need of them been greater. If they pull out, the killers will have won a major victory.