Posted on 02/22/2006 5:17:01 AM PST by SJackson
Protesters rage; at least five Sunni mosques targeted in reprisal.
A large explosion Wednesday heavily damaged the golden dome of one of Iraq's most famous Shi'ite shrines, sending protesters into the streets and triggering reprisal attacks against Sunni mosques. It was the third major attack against Shi'ite targets in as many days.
Shi'ite leaders called for calm as reprisal attacks occurred against at least five Sunni mosques in the capital and two in Basra. About 500 soldiers from Iraq's 6th Division were sent to Sunni neighborhoods to prevent clashes between Shi'ites and Sunnis, army Capt. Jassim al-Wahash said.
No group claimed responsibility for the early morning attack on the Askariya shrine in this city 95 kilometers north of Baghdad. But suspicion fell on Sunni extremist groups such as al-Qaida in Iraq of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
The Interior Ministry said four men, one wearing military uniform and three in black, entered the mosque early Wednesday and detonated two bombs, one of which collapsed the dome and damaged part of the northern wall of the shrine.
Police believed some people might be buried under the debris after the 6:55 a.m. explosion but there were no confirmed figures. The shrine contains the tombs of two revered Shi'ite imams, both descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, and is among Iraq's most sacred sites for Shi'ite Muslims.
The attack on such a major religious shrine threatened to enflame sectarian passions at a time when talks among Shi'ites, Sunnis and Kurds on a new government have bogged down.
In Baghdad, National Security Adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie blamed religious zealots such as al-Qaida terror network and Ansar al-Sunnah, telling Al Arabiya television that the attack was an attempt "to pull Iraq toward civil war."
The country's most revered Shi'ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, sent instructions to his followers forbidding attacks on Sunni mosques, especially the major ones in Baghdad. He called seven days of mourning, his aides said.
US and Iraqi forces sealed off all streets leading to the main Sunni mosque in Baghdad, Abu Hanifa, in the mostly Sunni Azamiyah neighborhood. The Sunni Endowment, a government organization that cares for Sunni mosques and shrines, condemned the blast and said it was sending a delegation to Samarra to investigate what happened.
Shi'ite leaders in surrounding countries, including Iran's most influential cleric body, the Qom Shi'ite Seminary, were also quick to respond.
"Ayatollahs in Qom have condemned the explosion and announced one day of public mourning," Hashem Hosseini, head of the seminary, told the state-run television.
Following the blast, US and Iraqi forces surrounded the shrine and began searching houses in the area. Five police officers responsible for protecting the mosque were taken into custody, said Col. Bashar Abdullah, chief of police commandoes in Samarra.
Large protests erupted in Shi'ite parts of Baghdad and in cities throughout the Shi'ite heartland to the south.
Residents of Najaf began closing their shops and were gathering in the city's 1920 Revolution Square for a demonstration to condemn the Samarra attack.
In the capital, the biggest attack against a Sunni mosque occurred in the Baladiyat area of eastern Baghdad, where about 40 Shi'ite militiamen sprayed the building with automatic fire. One street vendor was killed in another mosque attack.
Radical Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr cut short a visit to Lebanon and left by road for Syria, where he was expected to travel back to Iraq, Lebanese officials said.
In Samarra, thousands of demonstrators gathered near the shrine, waving Iraqi flags, Shi'ite religious banners and copies of the Muslim holy book, Koran.
Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari urged all Iraqis to condemn the attack and urged both Muslim and Christian leaders abroad "to redouble their efforts to help the Iraqi government stop these saboteurs."
Wouldnt it be terrible if this Al Sadr got killed during the turmoil?
Sadr would be unlikely to be behind an attack on one of the Shi'ite's holy places. This is Zarqawi attempting to start civil war.
I wouldn't be surprised to see several more spectacular attacks in an attempt to ensure it.
Uh, yeah, sure, we'll get right on it.
Why didn't we think of that?
(Psssst...we'e looking for viable solutions to this at the moment...)
Either that, or they need to become secularized. THAT would be an improvement.
Sometimes it seem that every place in the muslim world is "among the most sacred."
Civil war ALL Iraquis suffer. Who wins? Iran & Syria.
Sistani and the Iraquis know this.
I'm mighty glad you're not calling the shots. ;-)
I don't trust Sistani.
You are right. I guess the temptation overwhelmed my retsraint.
It is a concept more than a real desire.
The Sunni-Shiite war has been brewing for a long time. They are going to dispense with the formalities and get straight to the brawl.
" Gimee that ole time religion..."
Sauropod, I don't trust anybody in the middle east but this dude is special. He's intoned that Islam and the political can be separated and those that are religious leaders remove themselves from running for office. I would take his words more seriously than anyone else since he has the ability to put 1 million men on the streets by uttering a fatwa. He supports the US occupation until the country is in capable hands. Coalition forces will withdraw when the country is ready not a minute before or after. This sir is what Sistani is holding us to account. It is a faustian bargain to some but IMHO GWB and Sistani are on the same page as to the future of Iraq.
Which millions on the left are waiting for with bated breath.
The Sunnis ran the country under Saddam and brutalized the Kurds and Shi'ites. They're not liking the idea of a democracy where they're a distinct minority.
Preventing a democracy arguably could be in their interest if we cut and run.
But this is a minority position even within the Sunni population. They participated in the last election in large numbers.
The terrorists can manipulate Sunni opinion by inciting a civil war where Shi'ites are attacking Sunnis. It's a desperate and cynical tactic. It might just work.
Ah, but Sadar would have no problem doing that. I noticed on one thread they mentioned his men tried to get there by bus. Remember, Sadar took over the Iman Ali shrine in Najef and left behind bodies of innocent Shiia. Don't kid yourself about what Sadar would do to stir up trouble and to get America out of there.
I for one doubt it.
If you have Earth Google downloaded, go to Samarra. The mosque was huge. You'll have no problem finding it.
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