 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Karbala, Iraq (AFP) Dec 16, 2010 Iraqi forces have arrested 80 suspected militants accused of plotting attacks on crowds of Shiite pilgrims thronging the holy shrine city of Karbala for Ashura commemorations, a general said. The arrests were made in 14 raids in Karbala province and neighbouring Babil province, General Othman al-Ghanimi, who is in charge of security in five central Iraqi provinces, told a news conference late Wednesday. "Based on intelligence, soldiers were able to raid 14 terrorist cells and arrest 80 militants," Ghanimi said. "They were planning to attack pilgrims on Friday," during the culmination of the 10-day Ashura rituals. Karbala is under heavy security for Ashura, with a total of two million pilgrims expected to descend on the city by Friday. Some 28,000 soldiers and policemen have been deployed as part of security operations, with a further 7,000 available if needed. This year's Ashura ceremonies mark a key test for Iraq's security forces with just over a year to go before the around-50,000 US forces left in the country must withdraw completely, under the terms of a security pact. Ashura has in previous years been a target for Sunni Arab extremists, who see the commemorations as symbolically highlighting the split between Islam's two main communities. A roadside bomb in the middle of a west Baghdad Shiite procession killed 10 worshippers on Tuesday. A total of 17 pilgrims have been killed since the beginning of the rituals on December 8. The deadliest Ashura attacks were in March 2004, when near-simultaneous bombings at a Shiite mosque in Baghdad and in Karbala killed more than 170 people.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Iraq: The first technology war of the 21st century
Security Council ends Saddam-era Iraq sanctionsUnited Nations (AFP) Dec 15, 2010 The UN Security Council on Wednesday ended key international sanctions imposed on Iraq in a major move toward bringing closure on the Saddam Hussein era. Three council resolutions halted punishing international restrictions to prevent weapons of mass destruction proliferation and ended the UN oil-for-food program for Iraq. The action will allow Iraq to start civilian nuclear activities, ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook
