Many die in fresh Iraq bombings

A bomb attack on a restaurant in Mosul killed at least five

A suicide bombing on a bus in Baghdad has killed at least 12 Iraqis. Eleven people have died in other violence, including a restaurant bombing in the northern city of Mosul.

In a separate development, the US has threatened to cut aid to Iraq if the new government includes politicians with a sectarian bias.

US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad was speaking after talks to form a new government faltered over divisions between Shias, Sunni Arabs and Kurds.

"Sectarian and ethnic conflict is the fundamental problem in Iraq," he said.

Spate of attacks

The Baghdad bus attack occurred in Kadhimiya, a Shia-dominated area of northern Baghdad, at about midday local time (0900 GMT). Eight people were also injured in the attack.

One report spoke of rescue workers pulling charred corpses out of the wreckage of the mini-bus.

At least five people have been killed in a bomb attack on a restaurant in the northern city of Mosul, police and medics said.




At least one policeman was among the dead at the Abu Ali restaurant which is located near the police headquarters.

Police said that a man had eaten his breakfast before placing a bag under the counter and walking out.

Five lorry drivers were reported killed when their convoy carrying building materials came under rocket and automatic weapons fire north of Baghdad, police said.

A civilian driving in his car was also killed in an ambush in Balad, north of Baghdad.

'Sectarian agenda'

The US Ambassador to Iraq said the US would not continue spending billions of dollars to build up security forces run by people with a sectarian agenda.

"American taxpayers expect their money to be spent properly. We are not going to invest the resources of the American people into forces run by people who are sectarian," he said at a rare news conference.

Mr Khalilzad bluntly warned politicians from Iraq's largest group, the Shia Muslims, that the key defence and interior ministries must be in the hands of people "who are non-sectarian, broadly acceptable and who are not tied to militias".

Sunni Arabs leaders accuse the Shia-led interior ministry of employing militias to oppress their civilians under the guise of fighting the insurgency.

Mainly-Sunni insurgents have launched tens of thousands of attacks on US forces, their allies and targets associated with the new regime established since the US overthrow of Saddam Hussein nearly three years ago.

Mr Khalilzad said it was time for Iraqis to heal sectarian and ethnic differences and form a government of national unity that is not dominated by Shia Muslims and Kurds.

Shia leaders say they have the right to control key offices in the government after winning 130 of the 275 seats in parliament in a vote on 15 December.

Political leaders have yet to start serious talks on forming a new government and correspondents say negotiations full of sectarian obstacles could last for months.

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So, dont you think after this US will attack Iran...?

Iraqi blast damages Shia shrine


The dome of the building was blown apart by the bombs

Enlarge Image

A bomb attack in Iraq has badly damaged one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, sparking furious protests. Thousands of Iraqis have gathered at the al-Askari shrine in Samarra, north of Baghdad, where two men blew up the famous golden dome in a dawn raid.

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the spiritual head of Iraq's Shia Muslims, has called for a week of mourning.

Shias in Baghdad attacked at least five Sunni mosques in reprisal raids, with disturbances reported in other cities.

The BBC's Jon Brain in Baghdad says the attack was almost certainly designed to raise the existing tensions between the majority Shia and minority Sunni populations.

Shias distraught

The shrine is one of two tombs in Samarra for revered Shia imams, which attract pilgrims from around the world.

It was attacked one day after at least 22 people died when a car bomb exploded in a market in a Shia neighbourhood of southern Baghdad.

They will fail to draw the Iraqi people into civil war as they have failed in the past


Muwafaq al-Rubaie
Iraqi national security adviser



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There were no immediate reports of injuries in Wednesday's attack, but there are fears that people may have been trapped in the rubble.

Large crowds quickly gathered outside the shrine to vent their anger.

Angry crowds also gathered in Baghdad, while many in the Shia holy city of Najaf called for revenge.

There were reports of disturbances in the Shia-dominated city of Karbala and in the southern city of Basra.

However, Ayatollah Sistani, who has consistently preached a moderate tone throughout the Iraqi conflict, urged Shias not to attack Sunni Muslims or their holy places.

Firebrand Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr cut short a visit to Lebanon on hearing news of the attack.

Speaking in London, UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw called the attack a "criminal and sacrilegious act", but urged all Iraqis to show restraint and avoid retaliation.

Holy site

The golden dome had dominated the Samarra skyline

Samarra is mainly a Sunni Muslim stronghold and has been a focus of the armed insurgency against US troops and the Shia-dominated Iraqi administration.

The al-Askari shrine, part of the Imam Ali al-Hadi mausoleum, is one of Shia Islam's holiest sites.

The compound contains the remains of the 10th and 11th imams, reputed to be direct descendants of the Prophet Muhammad.

Imam Ali al-Hadi died in 868 AD and his son, Hassan al-Askari, died in 874 AD. The golden dome topping the al-Askari shrine was finally completed in 1905.

The spiral minaret on top of one of the city's other holy sites, the Sunni Great Mosque of Samarra, was damaged in April 2003.


Iraq's Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari, a Shia, appeared live on television to declare three days of mourning.

He called on Iraqis to "close the road to those who want to undermine national unity".

National security adviser Muwafaq al-Rubaie, another Shia, blamed Sunni Muslim militants for the attack.

"They will fail to draw the Iraqi people into civil war as they have failed in the past," Reuters news agency reported him saying.

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thanks for this useful info ...

indeed god is punishing iraq!!!!!!

America is, without good reasons.