A suicide bomber blew himself up inside Baghdad's largest Sunni mosque last night, killing 29 people during prayers, in a strike on a place of worship similar to the one that brought Iraq to the brink of civil war five years ago.
Iraqi security officials said Iraqi parliament member Khalid al-Fahdawi, a Sunni, was among the dead in the attack.
Major General Qassim al-Moussawi, a spokesman for Baghdad's military operations command, confirmed the bombing happened inside the Um al-Qura mosque during prayers in the western Baghdad neighbourhood of al-Jamiah. The blue-domed building is the largest Sunni mosque in Baghdad.
"I heard something like a very severe wind storm, with smoke and darkness, and shots by the guards," said eyewitness Mohammad Mustafa.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for Sunday's bombing, but suicide attacks generally are a hallmark of al-Qaida, which is dominated by Sunnis. Intelligence officials have speculated that al-Qaida will do almost anything to re-ignite sectarian violence, but the group has been recently focusing on attacking Iraqi security forces and the government to prove how unstable Iraq remains.
Two security officials and medics at two Baghdad hospitals put the casualty toll at 29 dead and 38 wounded.
In a statement, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called on Iraqis to stand strong against terrorists and "pursue them wherever they are.
"Solidarity and unity, and standing as one line behind the army and the police, are the only way to eliminate this danger, which does not differentiate between the Iraqis and targets all of us," Maliki said.
The strike happened hours after the UN's outgoing top diplomat in Iraq, Ad Melkert, said the government in Baghdad must determine whether its security forces are strong enough to stop violence before requiring American troops to leave at the end of the year.
"It's up to the government, really, to assess if it is enough to deal with the risks that are still around," Melkert said. "Obviously, security remains a very important issue."
taken from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/29/baghdad-suicide-bomber-kills-29
Iraqi security officials said Iraqi parliament member Khalid al-Fahdawi, a Sunni, was among the dead in the attack.
Major General Qassim al-Moussawi, a spokesman for Baghdad's military operations command, confirmed the bombing happened inside the Um al-Qura mosque during prayers in the western Baghdad neighbourhood of al-Jamiah. The blue-domed building is the largest Sunni mosque in Baghdad.
"I heard something like a very severe wind storm, with smoke and darkness, and shots by the guards," said eyewitness Mohammad Mustafa.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for Sunday's bombing, but suicide attacks generally are a hallmark of al-Qaida, which is dominated by Sunnis. Intelligence officials have speculated that al-Qaida will do almost anything to re-ignite sectarian violence, but the group has been recently focusing on attacking Iraqi security forces and the government to prove how unstable Iraq remains.
Two security officials and medics at two Baghdad hospitals put the casualty toll at 29 dead and 38 wounded.
In a statement, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called on Iraqis to stand strong against terrorists and "pursue them wherever they are.
"Solidarity and unity, and standing as one line behind the army and the police, are the only way to eliminate this danger, which does not differentiate between the Iraqis and targets all of us," Maliki said.
The strike happened hours after the UN's outgoing top diplomat in Iraq, Ad Melkert, said the government in Baghdad must determine whether its security forces are strong enough to stop violence before requiring American troops to leave at the end of the year.
"It's up to the government, really, to assess if it is enough to deal with the risks that are still around," Melkert said. "Obviously, security remains a very important issue."
taken from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/29/baghdad-suicide-bomber-kills-29
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