Large Sunni mosque destroyed near Basra in Iraq (Friday)

[maddezmom]

Source: Reuters

15 Jun 2007 09:03:50 GMT
BAGHDAD, June 15 (Reuters) - An important Sunni mosque near the southern Iraqi city of Basra was destroyed on Friday, according to an eyewitness, and a British military spokesman said it had been attacked and significantly damaged.

The Talha mosque, in Al Zubair, a town around 15 km (nine miles) southwest of Basra city, was the largest in the region.

The attack occurred around 6.00 am (0200 GMT), the eyewitness said. There was no immediate report of casualties.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/BUL531934.htm

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Iraqi Sunni mosque bombed near Shiite city 1 hour, 2 minutes ago



BASRA, Iraq (AFP) - A revered Sunni shrine was destroyed in a bomb attack near the southern Shiite city of Basra on Friday by a group pretending they wanted to film the shrine, an Iraqi army officer told AFP.

"A group of people carrying a camera arrived at the Talha Ibn Obeidallah shrine at 6:00 am (0200 GMT) today," said Major General Ali Mussawi, head of a government formed security committee for the province.

"They said they wanted to film the mosque. But they went after planting bombs around it."

He said there were two explosions within minutes of each other that destroyed the two domes and a minaret on the mosque which is located near the town of Zubair, west of Basra.

"The mosque is completely destroyed," Mussawi said, adding that the mosque security guards have been detained and the site surrounded by troops.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070615/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestsunnishrine_070615092444

[Up2Late]

1. How sad.

:cry:

[maddezmom]

2. Coalition troops kill suspected terrorist in Mosul, seize 16 others in raids In Baghdad, handful of

Coalition troops kill suspected terrorist in Mosul, seize 16 others in raids In Baghdad, handful of slain bodies found Thursday
BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Coalition troops in northern Iraq killed a suspected terrorist on Friday and forces seized 16 others in various raids, the U.S. military said.

Izz al-Din, also known as Abu Ahmad, was killed by troops in Mosul. The military says he was "the head of five terrorist cells in Mosul and was responsible for directing attacks against Iraqi and coalition forces."

One person was detained in Mosul. Other arrests were made in Baghdad, where a car bomb network was targeted, and in the Karma area of Anbar province,

The Iraqi Interior Ministry in Baghdad said five slain bodies were found by police in the capital on Thursday, bringing the number of such corpses discovered in the capital this month to 319.

more;http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/15/friday/index.html?section=cnn_latest

[MrPrax]

3. "mosque security guards"?

The Shi'ite Shrine at Samarra which was hit Wednesday might have involved the security detail. The Iraqi government also said it was increasing security at the country's mosques as well...

"...Maliki, in a visit to the shrine complex late Wednesday, said security forces responsible for guarding the site may have been involved in the attack. The mosque has been heavily guarded by Iraqi troops since the destruction of its dome.

Iraqi law enforcement officials said the 15-man unit responsible for defending the mosque, from the 3rd Battalion of the Salahuddin Provincial Police, had been detained.

The complex had two security forces on Wednesday -- one from Tikrit responsible for an outer ring of defenses, and the other, from the government's Facilities Protection Services, which was responsible for the site itself, according to a U.S. military spokesman, Lt. Col. Christopher Garver.

But witnesses interviewed by The Washington Post said a special unit of commandos, apparently from Baghdad, arrived at the mosque Tuesday night.

"The shrine was guarded by a police force mostly from Tikrit, but yesterday around 6 p.m. a police commando force came from Baghdad and pushed the police force that was guarding the shrine away and took their place," Mahmood al-Samaraie, 42, who lives near the mosque, said in a telephone interview. "In fact, some disagreement and fighting between the two forces took place, because the previous force did not want to leave their position, but later they had to..."

WP

[annabanana]

4. Now another Shia shrine. . then another Sunni shrine...

There is no end that we can have any effect on.

[Supersedeas]

9. so it begins again

[shenmue]

5. What is wrong with religious fanatics?

It's bad enough the U.S. is still hanging around, but they have to muck it up even further by killing one another over religion? :grr:

[Kagemusha]

8. That makes the country uncontrollable by the US' forces.

Stability makes it easy for foreign troops to stay long-term. Stability leads to alliances across ethnic and religious boundaries. Therefore, stability is the opponent of the terrorist.

[ContraBass Black]

6. Sometimes, it amazes me that there are yet cars, people, and mosques to explode.

[Kagemusha]

7. Let me guess... the people wanting to film, paid a fat bribe.

Because that's how it works in Iraq.

And then, boom.

[fujiyama]

10. And what after this?

US funded Sunni "insurgents" (now I see the media all of a sudden is willing to make a distinction between the insurgents and Al Qaeda) will attack Shiites? In turn making Shiites (the majority of the country), even MORE hostile toward us? After all, we can't protect their people or holy sites either. Oh wait, weren't we trying to "liberate" the Shiites from the evil tyrannical yolk of that boogey-man with WMD Saddam?

We are reminded every second how asinine the reasoning was for this war...Let's hope we don't nominate a candidate that fell for the shit in the first place (everyone can guess which candidate(s) I'm talking about)...

[TexasLawyer]

11. a picture of the rubble

Militants avenge new Samarra attack by wrecking Basra's biggest Sunni mosque
Maliki denounces 'enemies of god, the country and the people'

Compiled by Daily Star staff
Saturday, June 16, 2007

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=83074

[krispos42]

12. Well, that probably is the end of the simmering civil war

Now it's time for the boiling-over civil war.

Oh, shit. This is going to be very bad.