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February 24, 2006

Shi'ite Leader Calls For Restraint As Death Toll Nears 130

Abdul Aziz al-Hakim (file photo) (epa)

24 February 2006 -- A senior Iraqi Shi'ite leader, Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim, has called for Sunni-Shi'ite unity and urged restraint in the wake of the bombing of one of the holiest Shi'ite shrines on 22 February.

The bombing of the Golden Mosque sparked a wave of sectarian violence that has so far claimed the lives of nearly 130 people across Iraq.


Al-Hakim, who heads the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, blamed Saddam Hussein loyalists and Al-Qaeda followers for the bombing.


A daytime curfew in Baghdad announced by Iraq's government is largely being observed with streets in the capital reportedly largely empty.


However, in Baghdad's predominantly Shi'ite neighborhood of Al-Sadr City, unidentified gunmen clashed with militiamen loyal to Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. It was not immediately clear whether anyone was killed.


(compiled from agency reports)


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