The Hindu : International : Violence aimed at disrupting Iraq polls?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 20, 2004

International

International

Violence aimed at disrupting Iraq polls?

By Atul Aneja

MANAMA, DEC. 19. Powerful car bombs exploded in the Shia cities of Najaf and Karbala on Sunay, killing at least 42 persons and injuring dozens, six weeks ahead of Iraq's controversial elections.

In Najaf, at least 30 persons were killed and 65 injured in a bomb explosion near the Imam Ali shrine, one of the holiest sites revered by Shias the world over.

In a similar explosion, a car bomb detonated at a crowded bus station in Karbala earlier, leaving at least 12 dead and 30 injured, police sources said. In Baghdad, three election workers were shot dead this morning. The surge in violence comes ahead of the elections slated for January 30. Denied power for most of their history, a majority of Shias back the polls. On the contrary, a dominant section of Iraq's minority Sunni community opposes elections that are being conducted under the American occupation of Iraq.

Governor was target?

Despite their divergent views and provocations, the Sunnis and Shias have avoided sectarian clashes so far. "A car bomb exploded near us," the Najaf provincial Governor, Adnan al-Zorfi, told the Associated Press news agency. Mr. Zorfi was standing with the city's police chief as a funeral procession was passing by, when a series of bombs exploded about 100 meters away. The police chief, Ghalib al-Jazaari, was quoted as saying that the two of them were the targets of the attack.

In Karbala, the car bomb exploded at a crowded bus terminus in the afternoon. Eyewitnesses said fire fighters tackled five blazing cars, while the wounded were ferried to hospitals. The car carrying the bomb apparently tried to target a police recruitment centre but ploughed into the bus terminus after it found the street blocked.

Violence in Karbala has escalated recently, with a bomb attack on Wednesday wounding its spiritual leader Sheikh Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalai. At least 10 persons were killed in that attack. In related developments, two mortar rounds struck the Um al-Tubou Sunni mosque in Baghdad, injuring four security guards and shattering windows.

Poll workers killed

Meanwhile, at least three election workers were shot dead in the Iraqi capital. The attack took place in Haifa Street, which is a stronghold of the Iraqi resistance. The election workers were attacked while they were travelling in a car. Gunmen reportedly fired on the car, and then dragged out and shot the passengers. The car was set on fire and the bodies were left lying near the burning wreckage. Guerrillas armed with AK-47 assault rifles and pistols then set up a roadblock on the street, stopping and searching every car that passed.

A spokesman for the Electoral Commission said three junior employees had been killed in the Baghdad attack. It was, however, unclear whether they were targeted because they worked with the commission, which is conducting next month's poll. "We don't know if they were targeted specifically," spokesman and Commission board member, Farid Ayar said. The police confirmed that three bodies had been found near Haifa Street.

The attack on Sunday was part of a series of strikes aimed at disrupting preparations for the elections. On Saturday, mortars landed on an election office in Dujail, north of Baghdad, killing two persons. A mortar also hit an election office in Kirkuk, the oil rich and ethnically divided city. Besides, another election office southwest of Kirkuk came under attacked yesterday. Last month, guerillas destroyed a warehouse containing election material in the northern city of Mosul.

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