The attacker, who had explosives hidden in fake casts on his leg and arm, tried to enter the Umm al-Qura mosque in western Baghdad about 9:30 p.m. Sunday but was turned away by suspicious security guards, a mosque official said. The assailant returned a little later, pushed past the guards and detonated his explosives, killing the worshipers as they prayed.
The deaths come after a particularly violent month in Iraq, in which dozens were killed in suicide bombings, targeted assassinations and car blasts.
Some analysts worry that the explosion may only further increase tension between the Shi‘a majority and Sunni minority in Iraq. Under Saddam, many of the Sunni religious leaders were given special treatment. However, with Saddam gone, many of the Shi’a leaders have begun gaining support from the neighboring country Iran, where the Shi‘a majority remains in control.
Despite the stabilization in Iraq, some US lawmakers worry that the friction between the two groups may reignite the country into violence.
Officials from the state department say the mosque is one of the most visible and high-profile mosques in all of Baghdad. It was built during the 1990s by Saddam Hussein to commemorate Iraq’s role in the 1991 Persian Gulf War and was dubbed the “Mother of All Battles” mosque, opening to the public in 2001. Its lofty minarets are in the shape of Scud missiles and the rifle barrels of Kalashnikovs.
(아주경제 앤드류 이 기자)
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com