Friday, March 02, 2007
Shiite cleric targeted in bomb attack
Security
(AP) A roadside bomb exploded yesterday alongside the convoy of a prominent Shiite cleric whose high-level political ties have made him the target of past assassination attempts. The imam was not injured, but several bodyguards were wounded. The attack against Jalal Eddin al-Sagheer came on one of Baghdad's quietest days in months; one fatality and one car bombing were reported.
Sagheer, an ally of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, told the Associated Press that his convoy was attacked in a Sunni area of southwest Baghdad while en route from the airport. "They targeted me again," he said, but declined to point the finger at any specific group. He said several bodyguards were wounded.
Sagheer has had close calls in the past, which he said were linked to his denunciations of Sunni insurgents and foreign jihadists, such as al-Qaeda in Iraq. In June 2006, a shoe bomber killed 10 people during prayers in his mosque in northern Baghdad. Two months earlier, suicide attackers killed at least 85 people as they left the mosque.
Sagheer has had close calls in the past, which he said were linked to his denunciations of Sunni insurgents and foreign jihadists, such as al-Qaeda in Iraq. In June 2006, a shoe bomber killed 10 people during prayers in his mosque in northern Baghdad. Two months earlier, suicide attackers killed at least 85 people as they left the mosque.
Labels: Jalal Eddin al-Sagheer, Shiite cleric
