IRAQ: SHI'ITE REPRESENTATIVE SAYS PRESENCE OF OCCUPATION FORCES ENCOURAGES ATTACKS IN KERBALA AND BAGHDAD
Record ID:
649261
IRAQ: SHI'ITE REPRESENTATIVE SAYS PRESENCE OF OCCUPATION FORCES ENCOURAGES ATTACKS IN KERBALA AND BAGHDAD
- Title: IRAQ: SHI'ITE REPRESENTATIVE SAYS PRESENCE OF OCCUPATION FORCES ENCOURAGES ATTACKS IN KERBALA AND BAGHDAD
- Date: 2nd March 2004
- Summary: (U7)KERBALA, IRAQ (MARCH 2, 2004) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (NIGHT SCENES) 1. VARIOUS OF AL ABBAS SHRINE/ PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHRINE BEATING THEIR HEADS IN SHOW OF GRIEF FOR GRANDSON OF THE PROPHET MOHAMMAD 0.06 2. WIDE OF AL ABBAS MOSQUE 0.10 3. SLV REPRESENTATIVE FOR AYATOLLAH ALI AL-SISTANI, SAYED AHMED AL SAFI ENTERING NEWS CONFERENCE INSIDE SHRINE 0.20 4. SLV JOURNALISTS SEATED 0.24 5. SCU (SOUNDITE) (Arabic) SAYED AHMED AL SAFI SAYING: "We hold the occupation forces responsible for what happened, be it in a direct way or in that they did not hand over security to the Iraqi forces." 0.44 6. SLV JOURNALISTS 0.49 7. SCU (SOUNDITE) (Arabic) SAYED AHMED AL SAFI SAYING: "There are a number of people arrested. But the finger of blame points at three people, and it seems that they may be Iraqi nationals." 1.03 8. SLV JOURNALISTS 1.08 9. SCU (SOUNDITE) (Arabic) SAYED AHMED AL SAFI SAYING: "The presence of the occupation forces on this land encourages operations like that committed today. The occupation forces - which you saw in Kerbala - are found in residential areas such as al Hussein area and places near residential areas, so these people came to defend themselves." 1.43 10. WIDE OF JOURNALISTS 1.51 11. SCU (SOUNDITE) (Arabic) SAYED AHMED AL SAFI SAYING: "It is possible that there are some al Qaeda groups - and we mentioned in Friday's sermon that an al Hayat article quoted American newspapers as saying that there is an operative called Mossab al... 2.12 12. WIDE OF JOURNALISTS 2.26 13. SCU (SOUNDITE) (Arabic) SAYED AHMED AL SAFI SAYING: "We called Al Husseini hospital an hour ago and they said there are over 112 people killed and over 235 people injured. A group of people were taken to other occupation forces hospitals." 2.51 14. SLV PEOPLE WALKING IN FRONT OF AL ABBAS SHRINE AT NIGHT 2.55 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 17th March 2004 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: KERBALA, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Reuters ID: LVACOTCJRUES3DPU9NUF22GQDM68
- Story Text: Representive for top Shi'ite cleric in Iraq,
Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, says presence of occupation
forces encouraged attacks.
The top Shi'ite cleric in Iraq, Ayatollah Ali
al-Sistani, who has huge influence over the Shi'ite
community, blamed the occupiers for the attacks in Kerbala
and Baghdad on Tuesday (March 2)
Shi'ite cleric Sayed Ahmed Al Safi, speaking on behalf
of al-Sistani, said that the occupation forces were
responsible for what happened either in a direct way or in
failing to hand over security to the Iraqi forces.
"The presence of the occupation forces on this land
encourages operations like that committed today. The
occupation forces - which you saw in Kerbala - are found in
residential areas such as al Hussein area and places near
residential areas, so these people came to defend
themselves," al-Safi told reporters in one of Shi'ite
Muslim's holiest Shrines Al Abbass Shrine.
Kerbala was in the grip of religious fervour, packed by
two million Shi'ite Muslim pilgrims celebrating a holy day
on Tuesday when five explosions rent the sacred city
asunder.
The pilgrims were beating their heads and chests and
gashing their heads with swords in a show of grief for the
grandson of the Prophet Mohammad who died more than 13
centuries ago when the blasts ripped the crowds apart.
The explosions tore men, women and children limb from
limb shortly after 10 a.m. (0700 GMT) at the climax of
ceremonies for the 10-day Ashura holiday.
Similar explosions killed tens of people in the capital
Baghdad 110 kms (68 miles) north.
Al Safi said a number of Iraqis were arrested, hinting
that they may have been members of al Qaeda.
"It is possible that there are some al Qaeda groups (in
Iraq)....and it (al Qaeda) could have been responsible for
this explosion," al Safi added.
Thousands of Iranians had travelled to Iraq to take
part in the Ashura ceremonies to honour the martyrdom of
Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammad killed in
battle more than 13 centuries ago.
Rescuers raced through the streets with injured laden
on to wooden vegetable carts, desperately searching for a
doctor or an ambulance.
"We called Al Husseini hospital an hour ago and they
said there are over 112 people killed and over 235 people
injured. A group of people were taken to other occupation
forces hospitals," al Safi told reporters.
No one claimed responsibility for the blasts.
Doctors set up a makeshift hospital and treated the
wounded as they lay out in the sun.
Shi'ites queued up to give blood to the wounded.
Some bodies were carried away in a rubbish truck, while
ambulances took the most severely wounded to the local
hospital.
A witness said one of the blasts went off as Iranian
Shi'ite pilgrims were performing rituals of
self-flagellation.
Amidst the misery and confusion that followed the
blasts, Ashura ceremonies continued, with pilgrims beating
their chests in mourning for the martyrdom of Prophet
Mohammad's grandson Imam Hussein and chanting "God is
Great".
U.S. and allied military officials said Tuesday's
bloody attacks on Shi'ites in Iraq did not mean security
was inadequate, but showed it was impossible to beat
determined guerrillas every time.
And a Shi'ite member of Iraq's U.S.-appointed Governing
Council who has fought U.S. pressure to disband his party's
armed wing said the attacks proved that groups like his
militia should be handed responsibility for security.
Neither the U.S. military in charge of Baghdad nor the
multinational force in Kerbala had deployed troops close to
the areas before the attacks.
Instead the foreign forces left security at the sites
in the hands of Iraqis.
The Polish spokesman for the multinational force that
covers Kerbala also defended the decision to keep clear of
the Ashura ceremonies.
In the chaos that followed the explosions, many
civilians shouted abuse at the American occupiers, some
accusing them of not doing enough to protect the shrines.
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