International   

11 killed in mosque blast

Atul Aneja

"Shoe bomber" strikes despite the security crackdown

HARROWING SCENE: Children look at the remains of the supermarket attached to their house, after a parked car bomb struck the Sadiyah neighbourhood insouthwestern Baghdad on Thursday night, killing at least three civilians and wounding 14 on Friday. - PHOTO: AP

DUBAI: A suicide bomber has attacked a key Shia mosque in Baghdad, two days after the Iraqi government launched an offensive to root out violence.

In the second attack in just over two months, the Buratha mosque in the northern part of the capital has been subjected to a suicide bombing. At least 11 persons have died and 25 injured in the incident, which took place just before the scheduled Friday prayers. On April 7, suicide bombers had targeted the same mosque killing around 90 persons. The mosque's Imam, Sheikh Jalaluddin Al Saghir, who escaped said that he was the target of the attack. He pointed out that the assailant was a "shoe bomber" as the explosives and the ball bearings, which caused the damage, were hidden inside his shoe. Security had been stepped up after the first attack. Body searches were thorough for all those entering, because, on the previous occasion, the suicide bomber had slipped into the mosque dressed as a woman.

Forbidden practice

According to eyewitnesses the suspected bomber had positioned himself close to the area where Mr. Al Saghir was slated to deliver his sermon. But just before the cleric's arrival, some others in the mosque noticed that the man was sitting with his shoes on — a practice forbidden inside mosques. The man then pretended to remove his shoes and his move coincided with the explosion. Mr. Al Saghir said he suspected that the attack was undertaken as revenge for the killing last week of the former Al-Qaeda chief in Iraq, Abu Musab Al Zarqawi. He blamed the Al-Qaeda and "Ba'athists" for the attack.

Meanwhile, there has been no let up in the security swoop ordered by Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki to curb surging violence across the country.

Fearing car bombings during Friday prayers when crowds throng the mosques, the Government had banned vehicles from plying inside Baghdad for the most part of the day. On Thursday, suspected militants killed 10 workers travelling inside a bus in Baquba.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

11 killed in mosque blast
Deterrent strikes on in Sri Lanka
U.K.: amnesty for illegal migrants likely
Koirala, Prachanda reach 8-point pact
Political fraud: Benazir
Looks like the missing link in the evolution of birds
"Bleakest malnutrition" warned in Somalia
Darfur atrocities file prepared
40 militants killed in anti-Taliban push
Cleanup efforts continue
Bike lanes restored
Pakistan denies reports of demolition of Krishna temple
Bangladeshi charged with killing Indian colleague
Bus service a day later
U.S. declines comment on Tharoor's nomination

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu