Samarra Mosque Bombed ¶ Curfew in Baghdad

Iraq bombers topple Samarra minarets

BAGHDAD – In a bold blow to Iraqi hopes for peace, suspected al-Qaida bombers toppled the towering minarets of Samarra’s revered Shiite shrine, adding new provocation to old wounds a year after the mosque’s Golden Dome was destroyed.

Images show the stages of destruction of the Askariya Shrine in Samarra, Iraq. From top to bottom: a Feb. 2004 photo of the shrine, the shrine in Feb. 2006 following an explosion which destroyed its dome, and a June 13, 2007 view after insurgents blew up its two minarets. (AP Photos)

The attack stoked fears of a surge in violence between Muslim sects. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government rushed to contain Shiite wrath against Sunnis: It clamped a curfew on Baghdad and asked for U.S. troop reinforcements in Samarra, 60 miles north of here, and for a heightened American military alert in the capital.

But sketchy reports of sectarian strife began to come in. Police told of at least four Sunni mosques in Baghdad and south of the capital attacked by arsonists and bombers, and of a smaller Shiite shrine bombed north of here.

Today’s stunning attack came in near-simultaneous explosions at about 9 a.m., completely bringing down the two slender golden minarets, 100 feet tall, that had flanked the dome’s ruins. No casualties were reported.

How the attackers evaded the Askariya shrine’s guard force, strengthened considerably after the 2006 bombing, was a mystery.

Al-Maliki said policemen at the shrine were detained for questioning, and the Interior Ministry said members of “a terrorist group” — in addition to the policemen — were arrested in Samarra and were being interrogated in connection with the shrine attack.

The morning blasts shook the Tigris River-side city of Samarra, sending a cloud of dust billowing into the air, said Imad Nagi, a storeowner 100 yards from the shrine. “After the dust settled, I couldn’t see the minarets any more. So, I closed the shop quickly and went home.”