Aftermath of blast killed 6 Shiite pilgrims during procession
(26 Dec 2009) SHOTLIST 1. Man looking at site where IED exploded 2. Close-up of slippers and sandals on the ground 3. Close-up of site 4. Men at site, woman arrives carrying tray containing candles to be lit for memorial for the dead, puts it down 5. Close-up of tray with candles 6. Men praying at makeshift memorial site 7. Sign reads al Sadr General Hospital 8. Various of injured boy on bed 9. Injured children on beds 10. Close-up injured child 11. Injured children on beds STORYLINE A roadside bomb killed six Shiite Muslim pilgrims during a procession in Iraq on Friday, the latest violence targeting Shiites during observances of a religious holiday, officials said. The bomb in Baghdad''s Sadr City neighbourhood killed six pilgrims and injured 17, including a local politician, according to police. A medic and another policeman confirmed the number of dead. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorised to speak to the media. Friday''s deaths followed heightened tensions in a northern town after troops were deployed following a scuffle between Christians and Shiites over holiday decorations. Observances of the 10-day Shiite festival of Ashoura, which ends on 27 December, coincided with Friday''s Christian celebrations of Christmas. The government has been trying to assure people it can protect both Shiites and Christians during the two holidays. During Ashoura, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims converge on the holy city of Karbala. In the days leading up to the event, large processions of men go through the streets of Shiite neighbourhoods, beating their chests and using chains to flay their backs in a show of grief over the 7th-century killing of the Prophet Muhammad''s grandson, Imam Hussein. The gatherings, practically banned under Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, have often been targeted by insurgents as a way to sow sectarian divide. In the northern town of Bartela, 240 miles (390 kilometres) northwest of Baghdad, troops were deployed and a brief curfew was imposed after three guards at a Christian church were injured during a dispute between Shiites and Christians over competing religious decorations. The confrontation came as many Christians in Iraq tamped down celebrations to avoid offending Shiites making pilgrimages to the southern holy city of Karbala to commemorate the killing of Imam Hussein, whose death sealed the split between Shiites and Sunnis. Friday''s incidents came a day after Shiite pilgrims were targeted in a handful of bombing attacks that left dozens dead. In the worst of those attacks, police on Friday raised the toll to 19 killed and 80 wounded in a double bombing in Hillah, 60 miles (95 kilometres) south of Baghdad. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
