Iraq: mourning, calls for calm, eulogy for killings of Karbala, Baghdad
Iraq, Politics, 3/3/2004

Leaders of the Shiite community in Iraq called for calm after one day of bloody explosions in Karbalaa and Baghdad, while today, official morning started declared by the governing council for three days. Preparations started to hold a funeral eulogy for more than 182 killed persons.

A statement read by member of the Iraqi governing council Adnan al-Bajaj Je on behalf of the current President of the council, Muhammad Baher al-Oloum, called on the Iraqis to abide by patience and to cling to national unity.

Sources at the governing council said that signing the provisional constitution set for today will be postponed for several days because of the mourning.

Two almost twin explosions resulted in killing 182 persons on Tuesday at the Shrine of Imam Mousa al-Kazem, in Baghdad, and the Shiite city of Karbala, in the center of Iraq, where millions of Shiite were celebration "Ashoura " anniversary.

Meantime, member of the Iraqi governing council, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, announced yesterday that three attempts to carry out attacks were foiled in al-Najaf city in the last 24 hours. Chairman of the higher council of the Islamic revolution in Iraq, the main Shiite organization, said that large amounts of explosives were found but no additional explanations were made.

Meantime, Kurdish officials said that two high ranking Kurdish officials survived an assassination attempt made by unidentified persons who opened fire at their procession to the north of Iraq yesterday.

The officials said that five guards were slightly wounded when unidentified persons opened fire at Jalal Jawher procerssion, a prominent figure in the Kurdistani national federation party, in Karkouk, and Dana Majid, head of the civil security in al-Suleimaneyah.

The two officials were in their way from al-Musil to al-Suleimaneyah, 330 Km to the northern east of Baghdad.

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  provisional rules postpones the constitution; One soldier from Estonia killed in Iraq   (3/1/2004)
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