US: Shrine bombing was 'crime against humanity'

Top US officials strongly condemned the bombing of a revered Shiite shrine today, calling it a desperate and despicable act designed to foment sectarian strife.

“Given the historic, cultural and religious importance of this shrine, this attack is a crime against humanity,” the US ambassador and the commander of US forces in Iraq said in a joint statement.

“The Shrine should be rebuilt and the US will contribute to its reconstruction.”

A pair of bombs today caused extensive damage to the golden dome of the Askariya shrine in Samarra, triggering protests and reprisal attacks against Sunni mosques.

“This desperate and despicable act shows that terrorists stop at nothing and care for nothing,” US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and General George Casey said in the statement.

They urged calm, saying: “Those who commit acts of sectarian violence in the wake of this tragic event are only serving the interests of the terrorists.”

In Washington, White House press secretary Scott McClellan also condemned the attack.

“On behalf of the American people, the president extends our deepest condolences to the people of Iraq for this brutal attack on one of Iraq’s holiest sites,” McClellan said.

“The terrorists continue to show they are enemies of all faiths and of all humanity,” he said.

“The world must stand together, united against them, and the world must continue to stand firmly behind the people of Iraq.”

He also appealed for restraint in the wake of the attack.

“Violence can only contribute to what the terrorists sought to achieve by this act,” he said.

The attack came at a sensitive time in talks to form a new government in Iraq, which have become bogged down over differences between Shiite, Sunni Arab and Kurdish parties. It was the third major attack against a Shiite target in as many days.

“This is a critical moment for Iraq,” Khalilzad and Casey said.

“We call on all Iraqis to unite against terror and violence. Coming together in unity to condemn this barbaric act and working for Iraq’s salvation will be the right response.”

A Shiite political leader in Iraq said Khalilzad shared some responsibility for the bombing because of his criticism of Shiite-led security forces.

Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, head of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, cited Khalilzad’s statement at a press conference on Monday that America would not continue to support institutions run by sectarian groups with links to armed militias.

“For sure, the statements made by the ambassador were not made in a responsible way and he did not behave like an ambassador,” al-Hakim told reporters.

“These statements were the reason for more pressure and gave green lights to terrorist groups. And, therefore, he shares in part of the responsibility.”

Khalilzad has urged the Iraqis to form a unity government in which non-sectarian figures control the ministries of Defence, which runs the army, and Interior, which is responsible for the police.

The current interior minister, Bayan Jabr, is a member of al-Hakim’s party. His commandos have been accused by Sunni Arabs of widespread human rights abuses against Sunni civilians.