Iraqis bury bomb dead, some Shi'ites seek revenge

[sabra]

http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=6365139&cKey=1136562635000

Iraqis bury bomb dead, some Shi'ites seek revenge


KERBALA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqis buried their dead on Friday from a day of bloodshed which left some Shi'ites calling for a backlash against the Sunni Arab militants they blame for a suicide bombing in their holy city of Kerbala.

Senior Shi'ite religious and political leaders urged restraint, telling followers to place their faith in the next government, slowly emerging from the December 15 election and set to be dominated by Shi'ite Islamists.

But some clerics used the Muslim holy day to condemn the killers from the pulpit.

In Baghdad, one turbaned imam held an AK-47 assault rifle aloft in his left hand and punched the air with his right as he addressed around 5,000 worshippers.

"How long can we remain silent? Terrorists are pampered in Iraq," cried Imam Hazim Araji, standing in front of an ornately tiled facade of the Khadimiya mosque.