Tension escalates as Iraqi Shi’ites vow revenge for bomb attack

THOUSANDS of angry Shi’ite Muslims, many vowing revenge, thronged the streets of the Iraqi holy city of Najaf yesterday for the funerals of three men killed in a bomb attack that wounded a top cleric.

Ayatollah Mohammed Saeed al-Hakim, who was slightly injured in Sunday’s bombing, is the uncle of the leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), criticised by some Shi’ites for co-operating with the US-led occupation.

SCIRI said its movement was the target of Sunday’s attack, which hit Hakim’s office and killed three bodyguards. Some supporters blamed a rival cleric who has condemned the presence of foreign troops.