Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Bomb at Shiite Shrine Kills 7 in Karbala
By PAUL GARWOODAssociated Press Writer
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- A bomb exploded at the gate of a revered Shiite shrine Wednesday, killing seven people in an apparent attempt to kill an aide to Iraq's top Shiite cleric and casting the shadow of violence over the first day of campaigning in the country's crucial January elections.
The attack in Karbala, which wounded the representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, came hours after the campaign kicked off, with Iraqi interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi announcing his candidacy. Allawi's defense minister accused Iranian and Syrian intelligence agents of helping insurgents in Iraq.
Also on Wednesday, a government official in Baghdad said Saddam's notorious right-hand man, Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali," would be the first to appear in court next week to face charges for crimes allegedly committed during Saddam's 35-year dictatorship. Allawi said earlier that formal indictments could be issued against some of Saddam's top deputies next month - just ahead of the Jan. 30 election.
The blast south of Baghdad underlined worries over security during the campaign and the election, with insurgents expected to derail the vote creating a national assembly.
While Iraq's Shiite Muslim majority has welcomed an election it will likely dominate, Sunni Arabs have expressed fears they will be eclipsed and some have called for a boycott of the vote. Al-Sistani has backed a coalition of major Shiite political parties that has put forward a list of candidates and is expected to do well in the first national election since Saddam's fall.
Sunni militants have been accused in past attacks against Shiites and their holy sites. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesday's bombing.
The blast went off at the western gate of the Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala, killing seven people and wounding 31, said Dr. Abdul-Abbas Al-Timimi, director of Al-Hussein hospital.
Al-Sistani's representative, Sheik Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalayee, was among the wounded, and an al-Sistani spokesman said al-Karbalayee was the intended target of the blast. Several of his bodyguards were among the dead and wounded, the spokesman - Hamed al-Khafaf - told Al-Jazeera television.
AP VIDEO
Campaigning Kicks Off Amid Iraq Insurgency
Audio
Garwood reports the threat of violence in Iraq is a major concern as Iraq's election day approaches.
PHOTO GALLERY
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Key Findings on WMD
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Bomb at Shiite Shrine Kills 7 in Karbala
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Official: 'Chemical Ali' to Be Tried First
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Blast at Iraq Shrine Kills 7, Wounds 31
The Imam Hussein Shrine was one of a number of Shiite holy sites in Karbala and Baghdad targeted in March, when coordinated bombs and suicide blasts hit pilgrims attending a religious festival, killing at least 181. The shrine houses the tomb of Imam Hussein, the son of Imam Ali, Shiism's founder.
The city, 50 miles south of Baghdad, was also the scene of heavy fighting in April between the militia of anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and multinational forces.
Days after the al-Sistani-backed United Iraqi Alliance announced its candidates in the election, Allawi announced he was entering the race at the head of a list of 240 candidates meant to highlight his appeal to Iraq's diverse and sometimes fractious ethnic and religious groups.
Surrounded by supporters in tribal garb, clerical turbans and suits, the U.S.-backed prime minister pledged to work for national unity and move away from "religious and ethnic fanaticism" if elected to the assembly on Jan. 30.
"By depending on God, and with a firm determination and based on strong confidence in the abilities of our people, we are capable of confronting the difficulties and challenges and of making a bright future for our honorable people," Allawi said.
Allawi said his party would push for the eventual withdrawal of multinational forces "according to a set timetable."
In the election, each faction will win a number of seats in the new assembly proportional to the percentage of votes it wins nationwide - meaning those highest up on each faction's list are most likely to get seats. The groups that end up strongest in the assembly will be in a powerful position as the body picks the next government and draws up the nation's new constitution.
The United Iraqi Alliance - headed by Abdel-Aziz al-Hakim, a cleric who leads the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution party - is dominated by religious Shiites, though it also includes a few Sunnis and other minorities. Allawi, a secular Shiite, emphasized the broad nature of his list.
Elder Sunni statesman Adnan Pachachi, who had previously called for a postponement of the elections, said Wednesday he will take part. Pachachi, a former foreign minister, heads the Independent Democratic Gathering and said he would lead a list of at least 70 candidates.
Another Sunni group - the more religious Iraqi Islamic Party - has also put forward its own candidates. Wednesday was the cutoff day for parties or independents to register as candidates in the elections.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Hazem Shaalan accused Iranian and Syrian agents of cooperating with former Saddam security operatives and Iraq's top terror figure - Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi - "to run criminal operations in Iraq."
"Key to terrorism is in Iran, which is the number one enemy for Iraq," Shaalan said. "They are fighting us because we want to build freedom and democracy and they want to build an Islamic dictatorship and have turbaned clerics to rule in Iraq."
Iran and Syria have rejected U.S. and Iraqi claims they support Iraq's insurgency, but Damascus has said it is unable to fully close its long, porous border with its neighbor.
Shaalan also sharply criticized the United Iraqi Alliance for links to Iran. He took a swipe at an architect of the 228-member coalition and leading member, nuclear physicist Hussain al-Shahristani, describing him as the "leader of an Iranian list" that wants to Iraq to be run similar to its Shiite-dominated neighbor.
Meanwile, Kurdish officials demanded that provincial elections that are being held at the same time as the national vote be postponed.
The Kurds will boycott the provincial elections if their demands were not met, said Kamal Kirkukly, a council member and an official of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, in an interview with The Associated Press.
Among their demands is the return of displaced Kurds to the ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk, where Saddam's regime drove out many Kurds and replaced them with Arabs from other areas. The Kurds apparently want to solidify their demographic presence in the city before any vote. There was no suggestion the Kurds would boycott the national vote.
In the latest violence, a U.S. Marine was killed in action Tuesday in Anbar province, west of Baghdad, while a U.S. soldier died from gunshot wounds sustained during a convoy mission south of Baghdad.
As of Wednesday, at least 1,304 U.S. military personnel have died since the war began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
© 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.
Purchase this AP story for reprint.
Back to: AP News Home
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By PAUL GARWOODAssociated Press Writer
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- A bomb exploded at the gate of a revered Shiite shrine Wednesday, killing seven people in an apparent attempt to kill an aide to Iraq's top Shiite cleric and casting the shadow of violence over the first day of campaigning in the country's crucial January elections.
The attack in Karbala, which wounded the representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, came hours after the campaign kicked off, with Iraqi interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi announcing his candidacy. Allawi's defense minister accused Iranian and Syrian intelligence agents of helping insurgents in Iraq.
Also on Wednesday, a government official in Baghdad said Saddam's notorious right-hand man, Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali," would be the first to appear in court next week to face charges for crimes allegedly committed during Saddam's 35-year dictatorship. Allawi said earlier that formal indictments could be issued against some of Saddam's top deputies next month - just ahead of the Jan. 30 election.
The blast south of Baghdad underlined worries over security during the campaign and the election, with insurgents expected to derail the vote creating a national assembly.
While Iraq's Shiite Muslim majority has welcomed an election it will likely dominate, Sunni Arabs have expressed fears they will be eclipsed and some have called for a boycott of the vote. Al-Sistani has backed a coalition of major Shiite political parties that has put forward a list of candidates and is expected to do well in the first national election since Saddam's fall.
Sunni militants have been accused in past attacks against Shiites and their holy sites. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesday's bombing.
The blast went off at the western gate of the Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala, killing seven people and wounding 31, said Dr. Abdul-Abbas Al-Timimi, director of Al-Hussein hospital.
Al-Sistani's representative, Sheik Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalayee, was among the wounded, and an al-Sistani spokesman said al-Karbalayee was the intended target of the blast. Several of his bodyguards were among the dead and wounded, the spokesman - Hamed al-Khafaf - told Al-Jazeera television.
AP VIDEO
Campaigning Kicks Off Amid Iraq Insurgency
Audio
Garwood reports the threat of violence in Iraq is a major concern as Iraq's election day approaches.
PHOTO GALLERY
Iraq
Interactives
Iraq: Sights and Sounds
Street Fighting
1000 U.S. Deaths
Iraq's New Government
Prison Abuse Scandal
Tribes of Iraq
Reconstruction of Iraq
Coalition Casualties
Documents
Key Findings on WMD
Recent Stories
Army Spending $4B to Send Vehicles to Iraq
Bomb at Shiite Shrine Kills 7 in Karbala
Documents Show String of Iraq Abuse Claims
Sri Lankan Hostage Mistaken for American
Official: 'Chemical Ali' to Be Tried First
Disabled Firefighter Serving in Iraq
Blast at Iraq Shrine Kills 7, Wounds 31
The Imam Hussein Shrine was one of a number of Shiite holy sites in Karbala and Baghdad targeted in March, when coordinated bombs and suicide blasts hit pilgrims attending a religious festival, killing at least 181. The shrine houses the tomb of Imam Hussein, the son of Imam Ali, Shiism's founder.
The city, 50 miles south of Baghdad, was also the scene of heavy fighting in April between the militia of anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and multinational forces.
Days after the al-Sistani-backed United Iraqi Alliance announced its candidates in the election, Allawi announced he was entering the race at the head of a list of 240 candidates meant to highlight his appeal to Iraq's diverse and sometimes fractious ethnic and religious groups.
Surrounded by supporters in tribal garb, clerical turbans and suits, the U.S.-backed prime minister pledged to work for national unity and move away from "religious and ethnic fanaticism" if elected to the assembly on Jan. 30.
"By depending on God, and with a firm determination and based on strong confidence in the abilities of our people, we are capable of confronting the difficulties and challenges and of making a bright future for our honorable people," Allawi said.
Allawi said his party would push for the eventual withdrawal of multinational forces "according to a set timetable."
In the election, each faction will win a number of seats in the new assembly proportional to the percentage of votes it wins nationwide - meaning those highest up on each faction's list are most likely to get seats. The groups that end up strongest in the assembly will be in a powerful position as the body picks the next government and draws up the nation's new constitution.
The United Iraqi Alliance - headed by Abdel-Aziz al-Hakim, a cleric who leads the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution party - is dominated by religious Shiites, though it also includes a few Sunnis and other minorities. Allawi, a secular Shiite, emphasized the broad nature of his list.
Elder Sunni statesman Adnan Pachachi, who had previously called for a postponement of the elections, said Wednesday he will take part. Pachachi, a former foreign minister, heads the Independent Democratic Gathering and said he would lead a list of at least 70 candidates.
Another Sunni group - the more religious Iraqi Islamic Party - has also put forward its own candidates. Wednesday was the cutoff day for parties or independents to register as candidates in the elections.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Hazem Shaalan accused Iranian and Syrian agents of cooperating with former Saddam security operatives and Iraq's top terror figure - Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi - "to run criminal operations in Iraq."
"Key to terrorism is in Iran, which is the number one enemy for Iraq," Shaalan said. "They are fighting us because we want to build freedom and democracy and they want to build an Islamic dictatorship and have turbaned clerics to rule in Iraq."
Iran and Syria have rejected U.S. and Iraqi claims they support Iraq's insurgency, but Damascus has said it is unable to fully close its long, porous border with its neighbor.
Shaalan also sharply criticized the United Iraqi Alliance for links to Iran. He took a swipe at an architect of the 228-member coalition and leading member, nuclear physicist Hussain al-Shahristani, describing him as the "leader of an Iranian list" that wants to Iraq to be run similar to its Shiite-dominated neighbor.
Meanwile, Kurdish officials demanded that provincial elections that are being held at the same time as the national vote be postponed.
The Kurds will boycott the provincial elections if their demands were not met, said Kamal Kirkukly, a council member and an official of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, in an interview with The Associated Press.
Among their demands is the return of displaced Kurds to the ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk, where Saddam's regime drove out many Kurds and replaced them with Arabs from other areas. The Kurds apparently want to solidify their demographic presence in the city before any vote. There was no suggestion the Kurds would boycott the national vote.
In the latest violence, a U.S. Marine was killed in action Tuesday in Anbar province, west of Baghdad, while a U.S. soldier died from gunshot wounds sustained during a convoy mission south of Baghdad.
As of Wednesday, at least 1,304 U.S. military personnel have died since the war began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
© 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.
Purchase this AP story for reprint.
Back to: AP News Home
'
