Iraq Watch: April 6, 2006

Car Bomb Rocks Najaf; Terrorist Leader Detained

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A powerful car bomb rocked the Shiite holy city of Najaf on Thursday sparking fears of potential sectarian backlash. Iraq is already teetering on the edge of all-out religious warfare following the February 22 bombing of the holy Shiite Askariya shrine in Samarra.

Thursday's blast, which left at least 10 dead and over 30 wounded, took place alongside the ancient city's sprawling cemetery, only 300 yards away from the prestigious Imam Ali shrine.

The shrine is named in honor of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed, who is entombed at the sacred site.

Talib, or Imam Ali, is regarded by Shiites as the first imam appointed by the Prophet Mohammed. This divine proclamation by Shiites marks Islam's 7th century split between the religions two major sects.

Although Sunnis recognize Talib as an important figure in history as the fourth and final leader of the "rightly guided caliph," Sunnis, contrary to their Shiite counterparts, do not perceive him to be the first imam.

In other violence Thursday, militants ambushed and killed five Shiite truck drivers on their way to the capital city from Mahawil.

Elsewhere, three Iraqi police were killed and at least five wounded in a series of bombings in Baghdad's Salam neighborhood.

Also in Baghdad, police discovered the executed bodies of four men in the capital's notorious Dora district. Separately, police in Kirkuk found a decapitated body believed to belong to a member of the Kurdish militia, the peshmerga, who was reported kidnapped Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military announced Thursday the capture of wanted militant Abu Ayman (Muhammed Hila Hammad Ubaydi).

Ayman, the purported leader of the Babil province-based insurgent group the Secret Islamic Army, was apprehended March 7 near al-Mahmudiyah in a raid conducted by Iraqi security forces. The Secret Islamic Army is believed to maintain close ties to al-Qaida in Iraq, the guerilla group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.