The Hindu : Front Page : Minor damage to Najaf shrine

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 26, 2004

Front Page

Front Page

Minor damage to Najaf shrine

By Atul Aneja

ANGUISH OVER SACRILEGE: Iraqis break down at the sight of damage to the shrine of Imam Ali in Najaf on Tuesday. The inner gate of one of the most sacred Shia shrines has been hit by an American projectile. — AP

MANAMA, MAY 25. Clashes between U.S. forces and militiamen loyal to a Shia cleric have caused minor damage to the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf, considered one of the holiest sites by Shias across the globe, sparking fears that the fall-out of the incident will be widespread.

Al-Jazeera television showed a torn veil covering the gate, and damage on the wall around it. Several injured people were shown lying on the floor of the mosque compound, surrounded by an angry crowd of more than 100 people. Imam Ali was Prophet Mohammad's cousin and son-in-law and is the most revered figure among Shia Muslims.

The Shia cleric, Moqtada Al Sadr, reportedly visited the shrine after the attack, along with his supporters. His loyalists accused the Americans of firing mortars at the mausoleum and claimed that 12 people were injured in the attack. Eyewitnesses said a missile also landed outside the shrine, a short distance away from its outer wall. Three militiamen were injured in that attack, Mr. Al-Sadr's office said.

The U.S. military command in Baghdad said it was investigating reports of damage. Fighting in Najaf and other shrine cities south of Baghdad has alarmed Shias throughout the world who fear damage to the sacred sites. Angry demonstrations against the U.S. intrusion into Najaf and Karbala have already been held in Iran, Lebanon and Bahrain. Iran has issued a "formal warning" to the U.S. against its presence in the Shia holy cities in Iraq, and communicated it through the Swiss embassy in Teheran, which represents U.S. interests.

In overnight fighting in Najaf, eight people were killed and 18 injured, while in neighbouring Kufa, two people died and 14 were injured. Most of the intense battles have been fought in Najaf's vast cemetery, where a plethora of paths and tombstones provide an ideal setting for the conduct of guerilla warfare. Explosions and gunfire could also be heard from around the city's Revolution of 1920 Square, symbolising the failed Shia revolt against British occupation in that year.

Coinciding with battles in Najaf, a car bomb exploded close to the Australian embassy in Baghdad. The attack occurred about 50 metres from the Karma Hotel, where foreign journalists and U.N. weapons inspectors used to stay before the U.S. invasion. The attack injured five Iraqis, including a 10-year-old boy who was critically hurt. Iraqi police said that the car bomb might have targeted the Australian embassy, but detonated prematurely. The Australian Government said its troops in Iraq were investigating the incident.

Elsewhere in Iraq, a pipeline that carries crude oil from the northern Kirkuk oilfields to Turkey has been bombed and extensively damaged. A security official of Iraq's Northern Oil Company, Juma Ahmad, was quoted as saying that an explosive device badly damaged the pipe on Monday.

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