Imam Ali Mosque bombing
Imam Ali Mosque bombing | |
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The Imam Ali Mosque |
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Location | Najaf, Iraq |
Date | August 29, 2003 |
Target | Imam Ali Mosque |
Attack type | car bomb |
Death(s) | 83 |
Injured | 500+ |
Belligerent(s) | Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad |
The Imam Ali Mosque bombing was the detonation of two car bombs outside of the Shiite Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf on August 29, 2003. The attack killed 83 people crowded around the mosque for Friday prayers, including Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, spiritual leader of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq.
The attack was devastating for the Shiite community in Iraq, because such a revered cleric was killed and so many lives were lost. The bombing was the deadliest attack in Iraq in 2003. In response to the attack, thousands of Shiite mourners marched in the streets of cities and towns across Iraq. The mourners, many of whom blamed Saddam Hussein's loyalists for the attack, held anti-Baathist protests. No one has claimed responsibility, and Saddam himself released a taped audio message in which he denied having any involvement.
In July 2007, the Iraqi Justice Ministry said that an al-Qaeda in Iraq militant had been executed for his role in the bombing.[1]
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