Curfew fails to curb sectarian violence in Iraq

A car bomb exploded in a Shiite holy city and 13 members of one Shiite family were gunned down north-east of the capital today in a surge of attacks that killed at least 30 people despite heightened security aimed at curbing sectarian violence following the bombing of a revered Shiite shrine.

At least one more Sunni mosque was attacked in Baghdad after two rockets were fired at a Shiite mosque in Tuz Khormato, north of the capital, the previous night. Shooting also broke out near the home of a prominent Sunni cleric as the funeral procession for an Al-Arabiya TV correspondent slain in sectarian violence was passing by. Police believed the procession was the target.

The violence occurred despite an extraordinary daytime curfew in Baghdad and three surrounding provinces. The stretched security forces could not be everywhere to contain attacks that have killed more than 150 people since Wednesday’s shrine bombing and pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war.

Political and religious leaders were anxious to contain the violence unleashed by extremists on both sides, which have frozen efforts to form a new government that Washington considers essential if it is to reduce US troop levels this year.

The main Sunni Arab political bloc said it “will not hesitate to reconsider” its decision to pull out of coalition talks if Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a Shiite, follows through on promises to ease the crisis.

In a statement on Friday, al-Jaafari pledged to rebuild the Shiite shrine that was wrecked in Samarra as well as Sunni mosques damaged in reprisal attacks. He also launched an investigation to establish responsibility for the Samarra bombing “and what followed”.

In its statement, the Sunni front said the prime minister’s statement included “positive signs.”

“Although we appreciate the stance of the government, it is important that such decisions be put into force despite the deterioration of the security situation,” the Sunni statement said.

US officials remain hopeful the Sunnis will return to the discussions, but the crisis may delay forming the government, which had been expected by mid-May.

In Karbala, a city 50 miles south of Baghdad which was not covered by the daytime curfew, a car bombkilled at least five people and injured more than 30, police and hospital officials said.

A suspect arrested after the blast told police the intended targets were the city’s holy shrines of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, and his half brother Imam Abbas, Karbala Gov. Aqeel al-Khazali said.

But the suspect could not penetrate the network of checkpoints set up before this month’s massive Ashoura religious festival, according to the governor.

The assailant instead parked the vehicle on a street in the north of the city, drawing the attention of local residents. When police arrived to investigate, the car was detonated by remote control, al-Khazali said. The suspect was captured with the detonator still on him, he said.

In Buhriz, a Sunni-insurgent stronghold covered by the curfew, gunmen burst into a Shiite house and killed 13 people, provincial police said. The victims - three generations of one family – were all men aged 20-70 years, police said.

Followers of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said his militiamen were ready to defend the people of Diyala province – an ominous sign of the possible Shiite reaction to come. Many Shiites fear Iraq’s official security forces are incapable of protecting them and instead look to private militias for security.

The shooting around the home of Harith al-Dhari, head of the Association of Muslim Scholars, broke out as the funeral procession for Al-Arabiya journalist Atwar Bahjat was passing by. She was killed Wednesday along with two colleagues while covering the bombing of the Askariya mosque in Samarra.

When the mourners were returning later from the cemetery, a car bomb ripped through an Iraqi military patrol that was escorting the mourners. At least two soldiers and one police commando were killed in the mayhem, police and army officials said. Six people, including civilians, were injured.

Two rockets exploded in the British Embassy compound in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone late Friday, causing minor injuries to two British workers, the US military reported.

Police have found dozens of bodies – many of them cuffed and shot – in Baghdad and other areas since Wednesday’s shrine bombing.