- Title: IRAQ: FUNERAL COURTEGE OF BAQIR AL-HAKIM NEARS FINAL DESTINATION, LATEST.
- Date: 2nd September 2003
- Summary: (W4) NAJAF, IRAQ (SEPTEMBER 02, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. VARIOUS TOP VIEWS: THOUSANDS OF MOURNERS FILLING NAJAF AS FUNERAL PROCESSION FOR AL-HAKIM NEARS ITS FINAL DESTINATION; VARIOUS OF MOURNERS; COFFIN ON TRUCK; VARIOUS OF FUNERAL PROCESSION (20 SHOTS) 2.38 2. TV/MCU: BODYGUARDS SURROUNDING INTERIM GOVERNING COUNCIL MEMBER AHMAD CHALABI (2 SHOTS0 2.48 3. MCU: (SOUNDBITE)(English) AHMAD CHALABI, LEADER OF THE IRAQI NATIONAL COUNCIL SAYING: "This is a very sad day for Iraq. The martyr, the late Ayatollah Sheikh Mohammed Baqer al-Hakim, was beloved of all Iraqis. He comes from a very distinguished family and his death was a heinous act, deplored by all Iraqis. We are gathered here as a delegation from the governing council from all the communities of Iraq to mourn Sheikh Mohammed Baqer al-Hakim and we are united in condemning this terrible act." 3.32 4. MCU: AUDIENCE 3.36 5. MCU: (SOUNDBITE)(English) CHALABI, SAYING: "We have had no idea about any specific events but we have heard that there was a plan to do something in Baghdad today. Saddam, when his message was broadcast, it contained instructions to do something today, but we don't know where." 3.54 6. GV: CHALABI LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE 3.57 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 17th September 2003 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: NAJAF, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Reuters ID: LVAAI9K8UZCK553F8FFG7UOHWXZ9
- Story Text: Thousands of Iraqis have joined the funeral cortege
of a top Shi'ite Muslim cleric, slain by a car bomb that
dealt a major blow to U.S.-led efforts to pacify Iraq.
As the funeral procession wound through the streets
of Najaf on Tuesday (September 2), some of the mourners
beat themselves with small metal chains in a traditional
Shi'ite ritual. Others carried pictures of Ayatollah
Mohammed Baqer al-Hakim, killed along with more than 80
other people in Iraq's most deadly post-war attack.
Hundreds of thousands of people packed the city for
Hakim's burial around midday, marking the climax of several
days of mourning during which his coffin has been taken to
key Shi'ite Muslim sites around Iraq.
Hakim, killed right after Friday prayers at Najaf's
revered Imam Ali mosque, was one of the key leaders in
Iraq's majority Shi'ite community and was regarded as a
moderate. He had advocated cautious co-operation with
U.S.-led occupying forces.
Hakim's brother sits on a U.S.-appointed Governing
Council, which named Iraq's first post-war ministers on
Monday.
Washington sees the Governing Council and its cabinet
as the first steps towards its goal of transforming Iraq
into a peaceful democracy.
The 25 ministers will be responsible for day-to day
business but ultimate authority remains with the occupying
powers who have run the country since the U.S.-led war that
ousted president Saddam Hussein in April.
Iraqi politician Ahmad Chalabi, a Shi'ite who heads the
Iraqi National Council, said at a news conference on
Tuesday,
"This is a very sad day for Iraq. The martyr, the late
Ayatollah Sheikh Mohammed Baqer al-Hakim, was beloved of
all Iraqis. He comes from a very distinguished family and
his death was a heinous act, deplored by all Iraqis. We are
gathered here as a delegation from the governing council
from all the communities of Iraq to mourn Sheikh Mohammed
Baqer al-Hakim and we are united in condemning this
terrible act."
An audio tape purportedly from Saddam denied he had any
part in Friday's bombing, which many Shi'ites blamed on
supporters of the former president. Iraq's Shi'ite majority
complained of persecution under Saddam, a Sunni Muslim.
The taped message aired by Arabic television channels
on Monday called on Iraqis to step up attacks on U.S.-led
forces.
Chalabi said, "We have had no idea about any specific
events but we have heard that there was a plan to do
something in Baghdad today. Saddam, when his message was
broadcast, it contained instructions to do something today,
but we don't know where."
FBI agents are helping with the investigation in Najaf,
some 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad. U.S. Marines will
stay longer than planned in the city before handing over to
a Polish-led multinational force, a military spokesman
said.
As usual in Najaf, the troops kept a low profile on
Tuesday to avoid offending Shi'ites in one of their holiest
sites.
U.S. officials blame attacks on occupying forces and
other targets on supporters of Saddam, still on the run
nearly five months after he was deposed. But they have also
made increasing mention of the presence of al Qaeda and
other foreign fighters.
Many Iraqis have voiced anger about what they view as
the occupiers' failure to provide security.
The attack that killed Hakim has intensified
international debate on stabilising Iraq, where bombings
have hit the U.N. headquarters and Jordanian embassy in
Baghdad in recent weeks.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
