Slaughter and ethnic cleansing accelerates in Iraq

There has been no let-up in the frenzy of reprisals and counter-reprisals that followed the destruction of a major Shiite mosque in February, and the massacre of hundreds of Sunnis by Shiite militias in retaliation.

Sunni extremists are conducting a campaign of indiscriminate terror against the Shiite population. On Sunday, six Shiite mosques were bombed in and around the predominantly Sunni city of Baquaba. The next day, a bus to Baquaba was pulled over by armed men. In front of their horrified Sunni colleagues, five Shiite teachers were dragged from the vehicle, lined up and shot in the head. On Tuesday, five people were gunned down in the car park of a Baghdad Shiite prayer hall. As a crowd gathered around their bodies, a car bomb was detonated, killing another 14 people and wounding 33. The following day, at least five roadside bombs were exploded in Shiite suburbs, killing at least four people and wounding an unknown number more.

Shiite death squads are murdering hundreds of Sunni Iraqis who they consider to be sympathisers of the anti-occupation insurgency or the former Baathist regime. The main Shiite organisations being blamed are the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) and the Mahdi Army militia of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Even according to official figures, at least 762 people were killed in Baghdad during April. While the majority of victims were Sunnis, others—such as liberal intellectuals, gays and liquor sellers—were killed because their lifestyle, beliefs or occupation were anathema to the religious fanatics.

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http://wsws.org/articles/2006/may2006/iraq-m19.shtml