Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Media: AFP
Byline:
Date: 26 October 2006
NAJAF, Iraq, Oct 26, 2006 (AFP) - The Iraqi interior ministry ordered the
holiest shrine in Shiite Islam closed Thursday, the last day of the sacred
Eid al-Fitr holiday, amid fears of an imminent sectarian attack.
Authorities ordered pilgrims to stay away from mosques and shrines in the
holy city of Najaf -- including the revered mausoleum of Imam Ali, the most
important site of worship in the Shiite world.
"We had information that Al-Qaeda is preparing a plan to carry out attacks
on holy sites in Najaf," city police chief Colonel Abdel Karim Mustapha
said.
"We told the interior ministry, which issued the order that the mausoleum
be closed until further notice," he added.
Many thousands of Shiites came to Najaf for Eid al-Fitr, a three-day
celebration of the end of the holy month of Ramadan, but many visited the
shrines on the first two days and the city was already becoming quieter.
Sunni extremists inspired or led by the Al-Qaeda militant network have
carried out several attacks on Iraqi Shiite shrines, including the
mausoleum, as part of a successful attempt to foment sectarian violence.
Iraqi and United Nations officials estimate that violence caused by Iraq's
bitter Sunni-Shiite conflict and a rebellion against its US-backed
government claims more than 100 lives per day.
Byline:
Date: 26 October 2006
NAJAF, Iraq, Oct 26, 2006 (AFP) - The Iraqi interior ministry ordered the
holiest shrine in Shiite Islam closed Thursday, the last day of the sacred
Eid al-Fitr holiday, amid fears of an imminent sectarian attack.
Authorities ordered pilgrims to stay away from mosques and shrines in the
holy city of Najaf -- including the revered mausoleum of Imam Ali, the most
important site of worship in the Shiite world.
"We had information that Al-Qaeda is preparing a plan to carry out attacks
on holy sites in Najaf," city police chief Colonel Abdel Karim Mustapha
said.
"We told the interior ministry, which issued the order that the mausoleum
be closed until further notice," he added.
Many thousands of Shiites came to Najaf for Eid al-Fitr, a three-day
celebration of the end of the holy month of Ramadan, but many visited the
shrines on the first two days and the city was already becoming quieter.
Sunni extremists inspired or led by the Al-Qaeda militant network have
carried out several attacks on Iraqi Shiite shrines, including the
mausoleum, as part of a successful attempt to foment sectarian violence.
Iraqi and United Nations officials estimate that violence caused by Iraq's
bitter Sunni-Shiite conflict and a rebellion against its US-backed
government claims more than 100 lives per day.