Land of Two Rivers

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Iraq Watch: August 15, 2006

Security Forces Clash With Followers of Shiite Cleric
Iraqi forces on Tuesday came under heavy fire after raiding the Karbala offices of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Hassani. Ayatollah al-Hassani is purported to be a staunch nationalist and has spoken out previously against the U.S. military presence in Iraq.
The fierce running gunbattles between security forces and followers of al-Hassani left at least seven people dead: three Iraqi policemen and four militants. In addition, 17 people were reported wounded.
Karbala, located 50 miles south of Baghdad, is a holy city to the worlds Shiite Muslims as it contains the shrine of the revered Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.
Hussein ibn Ali, considered to be Islam's third Imam by most Shiites, was killed along with his band of followers during the Battle of Karbala in the year 680.
Authorities attempted to place a curfew on Karbala following Tuesday's fighting, although, bands of fighters could be seen openly parading through the city's streets according to the AP.
Meanwhile, in other violence Tuesday, a suicide car bomber killed at least nine people and injured 41 when he rammed his vehicle into the offices of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in Mosul.
The PUK is a Kurdish political party headed by current Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.

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