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Atmosphere of civil war in occupied Iraq
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141 people dead and 168 mosques
burned over the last 24 hours
BAGHDAD, February 23.— An
outbreak of violence after Wednesday’s attack on a
Shiite shrine in Samarra, Iraq, one of the most
important holy places for that branch of Islam, has
resulted in the deaths of 141 people and the burning
of 168 mosques in the last 24 hours, as warnings
grow of the risk of civil war between Sunni and
Shiite followers, ANSA reports.
Some governments and media
agencies in the region have directly accused the
U.S. government, whose troops are occupying Iraq, of
being responsible for the provocative and
humiliating action against the Iraqis.
This comes in addition to the
torture and abuse committed by U.S. and British
forces in Abu Ghraib, and the publication by the
media in several European countries of offensive
cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.
Yesterday, February 23, it was
reported that the Iraqi Accord Front, the main Sunni
force, has announced that it would not join
negotiations for forming a new government.
On Wednesday, a devastating
attack destroyed the Shiite mausoleum of Imam Ali
Al-Hadi, located in Samarra, 125 kilometers north of
Baghdad.
That attack unleashed a series of
violent acts against Sunni mosques throughout the
country that were continuing today.
Since Wednesday, at least 168
mosques had been burned, 10 imams murdered, and 14
kidnapped, according to Sheik Abdel Salam
al-Qubaisi, spokesman for the Ulema, a top Sunni
religious authority in the country (also known as
the Association of Muslim Scholars).
In addition, at least 80 bodies
had been taken to Baghdad’s morgue, according to its
deputy director, Qais Mohammad.
The bodies of three Iraqi
journalists have been found, all from the Al-Arabiya
TV network, after they were kidnapped on Wednesday
north of Samarra, according to local police.
For its part, the International
Union of Muslim Scholars warned today that there was
a danger of civil war breaking out.
Via a press release, the
organization condemned the attack on the shrine in
Samarra and called for “Iraqis, Sunnis and Shiites”
not to “fall into this trap,” adding, “It is
inconceivable that the Sunnis, who guarded the
shrine for long years, would bomb it.”
ANOTHER SEVEN YANKEE SOLDIERS DIE
Meanwhile, the military command
of the occupation forces reported the death of three
of its soldiers in northeast Balad, 70 kilometers
north of Baghdad, raising the number of U.S.
soldiers killed in Iraq in the last 24 hours to
seven, EFE reported.
A total of 2,290 U.S. soldiers
have lost their lives in Iraq since the invasion and
start of the occupation of Iraq in April 2003.
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