Iraqi Islamic shrine damaged in attack

One of the entrances to the shrine was damaged in the attack on Tuesday.

It was not clear who fired the missiles. US forces have been fighting Shia militiamen loyal to leader Muqtada al-Sadr in Najaf and other Shia majority areas.

Ahmad Shibani, al-Sadr's representative at the shrine, said five or six missiles had hit the building.

US Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt said US forces were not responsible for damaging the mosque. "The coalition forces had no involvement in the damage to the Imam Ali mosque," he told a news briefing in Baghdad.

Blaming Shia militia

Also, the representative of Shia leader Ayat Allah Ali al-Sistani in Kuwait, Muhammad Baqir al-Mahri accused followers of al-Sadr of targeting the shrine.

A statement issued by al-Mahri's office said: "Imam Ali's shrine has been targeted for the second time in a short period by militias loyal to al-Sadr."

The statement further denounced the attack which it described as "cowardly" and called on al-Sadr militias not to use the Haydari square and Imam Ali shrine for storing weapons or taking shelter.

Witnesses said three people had been wounded in the attack, none seriously. Al-Sadr visited the shrine after the attack to personally inspect the damage, as crowds of supporters chanted.

Earlier this month, the vast gilded dome of the shrine was damaged in fighting. The US military and al-Sadr's militiamen
blamed each other for causing the damage.


Aljazeera + Agencies
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/645433D2-9B97-4358-835C-4BCC2F588A32.htm