From the NY Times
Iraqi Shiites Fight for 2 Mosques; Blast Hits Turkish Embassy
By ALEX BERENSON
Published: October 14, 2003
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct. 13 — Shiite Muslim factionalism erupted today in Karbala, a religious center about 50 miles south of here, while in Baghdad a suicide car bomb exploded outside the Turkish Embassy, wounding at least four people.
The bomb, the third here in six days, underscored the United States military's struggle to contain the guerrillas who strike every day at American troops and so-called soft targets like hotels and embassies.
The standoff at Karbala, which followed a deadly battle Monday night for control of two mosques there, revealed growing tension between moderate Shiite clerics and Muqtada al-Sadr, a young and aggressive cleric, who said on Friday that he was planning to set up his own government.
The battle at Karbala on Monday began when followers of Mr. Sadr tried to take over two mosques, provoking a firefight with the Iraqi police and the paramilitary guards who patrol the shrines, spokesmen for the United States military and the occupying authorities said.
Some of the guards who opposed Mr. Sadr's forces may have been members of the Badr Brigade, a group that generally supports Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the most powerful Shiite cleric in Iraq. Mr. Sistani has generally taken a moderate stance toward the occupation, asking his followers to remain patient while Iraqis work to draft a constitution.
At least one person was killed in the battle and several others were wounded, although an exact death toll was unavailable.
The Iraqi police then asked for assistance from the Bulgarian, Polish and Latin American soldiers who are posted around Karbala as part of the American-led coalition, an American military spokesman said. Together, the police and soldiers formed a cordon around the mosques in Karbala, preventing anyone from entering or leaving.
By this morning, the situation had settled into a standoff, the American military spokesman said. Meanwhile, United States troops detained several vehicles, including some buses, that were filled with supporters of Mr. Sadr who were traveling from Baghdad to Karbala to reinforce his faction there. Reporters were prevented from entering the cordoned area, so the spokesman's information could not be independently confirmed.
In Baghdad, just before 3 p.m., a suicide car bomber blew himself up on a road in front of the Turkish Embassy. High walls protect the embassy compound, and a Turkish Foreign Ministry official reported that only one embassy employee and two Iraqi police officers were slightly injured. At least two other Iraqi civilians were also injured slightly when their car was damaged in the explosion.
A plan by the Turkish government to contribute 10,000 troops to the American-led coalition in Iraq has stirred widespread anger among Iraqis, who worry that the Turks want to take control of the Kurdish regions of northern Iraq. In addition, Turkey has built dams on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which are vital water sources for much of Iraq.
The Turkish ministry official said Turkey was presuming that the bombing was in retaliation for Turkey's plan to send troops to Iraq, but, he added, the attack would not change that plan.
"This demonstrates how serious the security environment in Iraq has become," he said. "We think everybody should contribute."
In Mosul, someone turned in 167 Russian SA-7 surface-to-air missiles to the 101st Airborne Division in Mosul, the United States military reported.
Military officials have estimated that Iraq had an arsenal of more than 5,000 surface-to-air missiles before the war, with most remaining unaccounted for, presenting a significant risk to civilian aircraft. The American military has been paying a bounty of $500 for every missile it receives, but in seven months it had received only about 300 missiles, not counting the handover on Monday.
The deaths of three more American soldiers were reported today by United States military officials, a day after three Americans were reported killed in the volatile area north of Baghdad and a roadside bomb in a tiny village narrowly missed a provincial governor on his way to work.
The three latest deaths were not the result of hostile action. Two First Armored Division soldiers were killed and one was wounded when their military vehicle was in an accident with a civilian vehicle in the Kadhimya district of Baghdad about 2:30 p.m. on Monday, the United States Central Command said in a statement today.
In the other incident, a Third Armored Cavalry Regiment soldier died after being found in the Euphrates River in Haditha, 70 miles northwest of Ramadi. The soldier was found about 9 p.m. on Monday and he died at 9:45 p.m., the command said. No other details were released. |
