Iraq Watch: August 20, 2006

Shiite Pilgrims Attacked in Baghdad

Gunmen positioned on rooftops attacked a procession of Shiite pilgrims Sunday in Baghdad killing at least 20 and leaving upwards of 300 wounded.

The pilgrims were making their way towards the shrine of Imam Moussa Kadhim, a revered 8th century Shiite saint. Kadhim's mausoleum is located in Baghdad's northern Kazimiyah district.

The sound of gunshots sent throngs of panicked pilgrims scurrying for cover. Many of those wounded Sunday were injured in the hurried rush to safety.

Last year during the annual religious festival, nearly a 1,000 people were killed when rumors of a suicide bomber triggered a mass stampede.

Iraqi security forces along with black-clad members of the Mahdi Army – the militia loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr – quickly pursued some of the attackers, believed to be Sunni extremists.

At least four militants involved in Sunday's ambush were killed according to the AP.

Meanwhile, a spasm of violence in the oft-volatile, religiously mixed town of Baqouba left seven Iraqis dead.