Posted on 02/23/2006 1:58:33 PM PST by cgk
Source: Yahoo!/AP
Via AP:
SAMARRA, Iraq - Insurgents detonated bombs inside one of Iraq's holiest Shiite shrines Wednesday, destroying its golden dome and triggering more than 60 reprisal attacks on Sunni mosques. The president warned that extremists were pushing the country toward civil war, as many Shiites lashed out at the United States as partly to blame.
As the gold dome of the 1,200-year-old Askariya shrine lay in ruins, leaders on both sides called for calm: But the string of back-and-forth attacks seemed to push the country closer to all-out civil war than at any point in the three years since the U.S.-led overthrow of
Saddam Hussein.
"We are facing a major conspiracy that is targeting Iraq's unity," said President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd. "We should all stand hand in hand to prevent the danger of a civil war."
The attempt to drag Iraqi’s Shiites and Sunnis into a bloody civil war intensifies. The dome of the Shiite Al Askari Mosque in Samarra, or Golden Mosque, has been destroyed by a well planned and well executed commando-style raid of insurgents dressed as Iraqi police. According to CNN, “A group of men dressed like Iraqi police commandos set off explosives.” It appears suspects are now in custody, “Ten people -- all dressed as Iraqi police commandos.”
The likely culprit is al-Qaeda in Iraq, or groups underneath the newly created Mujahedeen Shura Council. Zarqawi has desired a sectarian war between Shiites and Sunnis since his entry into the conflict, as he clearly stated in his letter to Osama bin Laden. al-Qaeda in Iraq has gone to through great pains of late to deny this, and will very likely not take credit in such an overt attack on the Shiite faithful. Silence and uncertainly will play into their hand, and feed conspiracy theories on who committed such an act. But the nature of the target and the sophistication of such an attack undeniably points to al-Qaeda...
Omar at Iraq the Model reports from the scene in Baghdad:
Right now there's heavy deployment for the police and other security forces with more frequent checkpoints that are stop-searching cars more often than they usually do. Sporadic gunfire is heard in different spots in Baghdad but no one knows for sure if the firing meant clashes or mere angry shooting in the air.
From where I'm sitting now I can hear both Sunni and Shia mosques are condemning the attack through their loudspeakers.
I believe there are foreign terror groups behind this attack and I don't think local insurgent would do such a thing, simply because this particular shrine had been in Sunni territory for a thousand years and the residents of Samarra had always benefited from the movement of religious tourism and pilgrimage.
Things look scary here in Baghdad and I hope there won't be more updates to report as I can't see a positive thing coming out of this...
President Bush's statement:
"The terrorists in Iraq have again proven that they are enemies of all faiths and of all humanity," Bush said in a statement after the dawn attack that devastated the Golden Mosque in Samarra, one of Shi'ite Islam's holiest shrines.
Bush called the bombing a "cowardly act" and a "senseless crime," and also promised U.S. help to track down those responsible for the bombing and to repair the shrine. Three Sunni clerics were among six people killed at 27 Sunni mosques in Baghdad hit in revenge attacks.
"I ask all Iraqis to exercise restraint in the wake of this tragedy, and to pursue justice in accordance with the laws and constitution of Iraq. Violence will only contribute to what the terrorists sought to achieve by this act," Bush said.
More here.
Reader Frank G. wonders: "Where are the violent protests over the bombing of the famous mosque in Samarra? Surely that is more important than cartoons."
Reader James G. responds:
I am a new reader of your blog and find your insights interesting. In response to reader Frank G.'s comment about the response to the bombings of the Mosque in Samara, I would like to point out that 60 attacks have already occured on Sunni Mosque's within one day of the attack. I study Arabic and Middle Eastern Politics here at Middlebury, and I think that the response we will see to this will be far-reaching and long-lived. However the response will most likely not be documented as well because there were no Western targets in the attack and our media will not pick up on it. I guarantee though that the worldwide Muslim community will not be happy about this; for our sake, let's hope the blame does not fall on U.S. troops.
Please FReepmail me if you would like to be added to, or removed from, the Michelle Malkin ping list...
Check out all the rebar sticking out of what used to be a reinforced concrete dome.
So9
ping
iron bars and cement were around in roman construction
This could be very bad - for Iraq, for our troops in harm's way, and for Israel.
Compare the reactions to the Danish cartoons to this: blowing up a mosque that held 2 of the 12 bodies of revered Shiite imams. Think all they're going to do is burn flags and embassies, and boycott cheese?
The first rule of Islam is you don't question anything the Mulluah's say.
I found this quote:
"The golden dome on one shrine was presented by Nasr al-Din Shah and completed under Muzaffar al-Din Shah in the year 1905 A.D."
The mosque is old but I think the dome is a more modern addition.
Shiite Muslims shout anti-U.S. slogans during a protest against the bombing of the major Shiite Askariya Shrine in the Iraqi northern town of Samarra, in Hyderabad, India, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2006. (AP Photo/A. Mahesh Kumar)
Now if only someone can do the same this THIS Bathhouse of Satan currently infecting the Temple Mount...
I think Al Sadr is behind it. He wants a Shiite theocracy with himself in charge. What better way to get it?
They certainly had concrete, and occasionally use an exposed iron bar or chain for reinforcement, but they did not use reinforced concrete.
So9
BAGHDAD, Iraq (Reuters) -- Gunmen entered Samarra's Golden Mosque at dawn on Wednesday and set off charges that destroyed its dome. Below are facts about the Golden Mosque.
Pakistani Shi'ite Muslims chant slogans during a rally in Karachi February 23, 2006. The Imamia Students Organisation held the rally to denounce the bombing of the Golden Mosque in Iraq and to protest against the publication of cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammad in European newspapers. REUTERS/Zahid Hussein
An Iraqi inspects the bombed holy shrine of al-Hadi in the Iraqi northern city of Samarra. A bomb attack destroyed the dome of one of the holiest Shiite shrines in Iraq, prompting thousands of enraged Shiites to take to the streets and fanning fears of sectarian violence(AFP/Dia Hamid)
Ancient Romans invented cement.
It's so much more "beautiful" (as so many "conservatives" called its previous state) now. But now Bush is going to rebuild it with taxpayer dollars. Whatever happened to separation of church and state (the real kind)? Calling Islam a "noble faith" was bad enough. This is horrible.
My sincere apologies. It isn't until I went back and looked at my first post that I realized I posted the 2 getty pics. Sorry!
If we were really serious about "Shock and Awe" and intimidating the idiot Moos, we could it in 10 minutes of course.
We're not going to beat these morons down until they know they're going straight to Hell, being cropdusted with liquid pig immediately before we kill them. They want to die, but they don't want to die unclean. If and when we get serious, they'll die unclean.
But George keeps feeding us this "religion of peace" crap, so we won't be serious until another very nasty attack happens. Which it will.
I'm just somewhat happy I'm in the boonies, far away from the big cities and other rich targets of opportunity - might buy us a little time out here.
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