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BAGHDAD, Iraq — A truck exploded Saturday as worshippers left a Sunni mosque west of Baghdad, killing at least 35 people and injuring more than 60 in an apparent sign of increased internal Sunni battles between insurgents and those opposing them.
The imam of the mosque in Habbaniyah, about 50 miles west of Baghdad, had spoken out against militants fighting the U.S.-backed government, including the group al-Qaida in
Iraq.
At least 35 people were killed and 62 injured, said Lt. Abdul-Aziz Mohammed in Habbaniyah, which lies between the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah — both hotbeds of the insurgency.
There was no claim of responsibility for the attack, but suspicion fell on battles between Sunni groups in Anbar province west of Baghdad. Militants have increased attacks against Sunni leaders who support the government and denounce violence.
Earlier Saturday, thousands of Shiites rallied in the holy city of Najaf to protest the nearly 12-hour detention of the eldest son of Iraq's most influential Shiite politician as he crossed back from
Iran. The U.S. military called the incident "unfortunate."
Amar al-Hakim, who was taken into custody on Friday, complained Saturday that U.S. soldiers handcuffed and blindfolded him before his release and "strongly abused" his bodyguards.
"Is this the way to deal with a national figure? This does not conform with Iraq's sovereignty," he said.
He said cell phones, licensed weapons and two-way radios were among items confiscated.
"It is not a question of offering apologies," the black-turbaned cleric told reporters in Najaf, about 100 miles south of Baghdad. "We need clear and honest measures to prevent such incidents from happening again."
Even though U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad issued a rapid apology, the decision to hold al-Hakim — and his complaints about his detention — risk touching off a backlash from Shiite leaders at a time when their cooperation is needed most to keep a major security sweep through Baghdad from unraveling. At least 13 people died in attacks on Saturday in the capital, including five in a suicide car bombing at the headquarters of the political party headed by al-Hakim's father.
It also highlights the often knotty relationship between U.S. military authorities and Iraq's leaders, whose ties to neighboring patrons —
Syria backing Sunnis, and Iran acting as big brother to majority Shiites — add fuel to sectarian rivalries and bring recriminations from Washington about alleged arms smuggling and outside interference.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, on Saturday would only say the circumstances of the detention were still being investigated.
But Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi, a Shiite and a top leader in the parliamentary bloc controlled by al-Hakim's father, described the behavior of the U.S. troops involved in the detention as "inappropriate, foolish and haphazard."
The U.S. military said Saturday that al-Hakim was stopped in an area where smuggling between Iraq and Iran is common and detained after members of the convoy "did not cooperate with coalition forces and displayed suspicious activities." He was released to Iraqi authorities and his possessions were returned after further investigation, the military said.
"Mr. Hakim was treated with dignity and respect throughout the incident," the military said. "Unfortunate incidents such as this occasionally occur as Iraq endeavors to secure its borders."
About 8,000 people demonstrated near the Imam Ali mosque in Najaf, 100 miles south of Baghdad, against the detention, raising Iraqi flags and pictures of al-Hakim and his father.
"The detention of al-Hakim represents an insult to the Iraqi people," said Hassan al-Shebli, a 45-year-old store owner who was among the protesters. "The Americans should avoid such irresponsible acts if they want to establish stability in the country."
Hundreds also took to the streets in Baghdad's main Shiite district of Sadr City and the southern Shiite cities of Karbala and Basra, but the protests were relatively small considering the influence of the al-Hakim family, indicating they were mainly aimed at sending a warning to the Americans.
"What happened is unacceptable," Shiite lawmaker Hamid Majid Moussa told Al-Forat television. "The Iraqi government and the American forces must put an end to such transgressions."
Al-Hakim's father, Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, met with
President Bush at the White House in December. He is the leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, or SCIRI, the country's largest political force.
The bloc carries the strongest voice in the 275-seat parliament and holds critical sway over al-Maliki's fate. It also maintains close ties to Iran, which hosted the elder al-Hakim and other SCIRI officials before the fall of
Saddam Hussein in 2003.
Washington has repeatedly accused Iran of funneling weapons to militants, including lethal roadside bombs that have targeted U.S. troops.
The U.S. ambassador to Iraq tried to defuse any showdowns with Shiites that could upset a 10-day-old offensive seeking to reclaim Baghdad's streets from militants and sectarian death squads.
"I am sorry about the arrest," Khalilzad said. "We don't know the circumstances of the arrest and we are investigating and we don't mean any disrespect to Al-Sayed Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim or his family."
Khalilzad promised: "We will find out what has happened."
Separately, Iraqi commandos backed by U.S. aircraft raided a Sunni insurgent base Saturday north of Baghdad, killing dozens, said Brig. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said, an Interior Ministry spokesman. Local authorities said six children and their father were among the dead.
The U.S. military said it had no report about the attack, which the Iraqis said occurred near Tarmiyah, the site of a bold daylight assault against a U.S. combat post that killed two American soldiers and wounded 17 nearly a week ago.
The spokesman said the raid was carried out in support of the security operation in Baghdad.
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By SAMEER N. YACOUB, Associated Press Writer
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Newsflash |
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20 U.S. troops killed in Iraq |
BAGHDAD, Iraq - At least 20 American service personnel were killed in military operations Saturday in one of the deadliest days for U.S. forces since the
Iraq war began, and authorities also announced two U.S. combat deaths from the previous day. |
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