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| Iraq |
| Iraqi Forces Take Cover in Ancient Mosque in Najaf |
| 2003-04-03 |
| NEAR NAJAF, Iraq (AP) - Iraqi forces were firing on coalition troops from inside the Mosque of Ali, one of the world's most important Shiite Muslim shrines, U.S. Central Command said Wednesday. Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks called the Iraqi fire from inside the gold-domed mosque in Najaf ``a detestable example of putting historical sites in danger'' and said U.S.-led forces refused to return fire. Just another violation of the Geneva Accords by the Baathists. I'm losing count. Allied troops occupied part of the city Wednesday and were welcomed by a crowd of cheering Iraqi civilians, according to a Washington Post reporter traveling with U.S. forces. The Air Force demolished a building described as a Baath Party headquarters with a 2,000-pound bomb Wednesday, and U.S. patrols in the city traded gunfire with Iraqis, the Post report said. But soldiers were still trying to root out Iraqi fighters in the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala without damaging their sacred buildings. The coalition has declared the holy sites ``no target'' zones that can only be fired on in self-defense, Brooks said during a briefing at U.S. Central Command in Qatar. ``We don't have to go to that mosque and we certainly want to keep it as protected as possible,'' he said. ``It's something we know to be sacred, and something obviously the people of the town know to be sacred.'' The Ali Mosque holds the tomb of the Shiites' most revered saint, Imam Ali Ibn Abu Talib, the Prophet Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law. With its silver-covered tomb, ceramic-ornamented walls and resplendent golden dome and minarets, the shrine is considered a treasure of Islamic art. Attacking such holy sites would alienate Iraq's majority Shiite population - whose support the coalition has been trying to rally - and inflame Shiite feelings against the United States worldwide, particularly in Iran. There have been concerns that Saddam Hussein's Sunni Muslim regime would try to provoke allied forces to attack holy sites. Central Command also said Iraqi forces fired three unguided surface-to-surface rockets that landed near Najaf on Wednesday. The unguided rockets used are known as Free Rocket Over Ground, or FROGs. As usual, they didn't hit anything. Video was shown at the briefing of Iraqi troops positioning two tanks on transporters next to another mosque. Brooks said a third truck carried a container that exploded, but there were no U.S. warplanes or other weapons in the area that could have caused the blast. British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Wednesday there was evidence that Iraq itself may be planning to damage the shrines, and then blame the coalition. ``We are doing everything we can to protect those holy sites and shrines,'' Blair said. As usual, the Baathists are using our humanity against us. In Baghdad, Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf said his government was also concerned about possible damage to historical and cultural sites. Not enough to stop using it as a shield, mind you. For the world's nearly 120 million Shiites, Najaf is the third holiest city, behind Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. Najaf, whose name in Arabic means ``a high land,'' is located about 100 miles south of Baghdad on a high desert plateau overlooking the world's largest cemetery, where Shiites aspire to bury their dead. Wonder if they'll allow Fedayeen to be buried there -- we're sure going to have a lot of 'em to bury. Najaf is also the seat of the Shiites' spiritual leaders, known as ayatollahs, and the center for scientific, literary and theological studies for the Islamic world. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #4 What about nitrous oxide gas in a bunker to flush 'em out. Is that a violation of the Geneva Accords? |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-04-03 10:49:59 |
| #3 Unfortunately, snooze gas is still a chemical weapon. I doubt we brought any with us. |
| Posted by: Dishman 2003-04-03 08:51:54 |
| #2 Where is the russian snooze gas when you need it. dorf |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-04-03 06:51:01 |
| #1 As far as I know, non-lethal military weaponry has not been used in the war. It could be tried in these cases, as long as the war-criminals have no opportunity to escape. |
| Posted by: Anonon 2003-04-03 01:26:26 |