An angry crowd gathered in the streets of the holy city of Najaf as funerals were held for three bodyguards killed in a bomb attack outside the home of one of Iraq’s top clerics. At least 2,000 Shiite Muslims followed behind the wooden coffins, with many of them carrying posters of Ayatollah Mohammed Saeed al-Hakim who was slightly wounded in the neck in Sunday’s bombing. Some blamed supporters of rival Shiite leader Moqtada al Sadr for the attack at a Shiite spiritual center about 161 kilometers (100 miles) south of Baghdad. Sadr has criticized the U.S. occupation of Iraq and refused to join the coalition-backed Governing Council. “This was Moqtada al Sadr. His people did it,” 60-year-old Muslim Radii, told Reuters. “Now there will be revenge. The only way to stop this is for the people of Najaf to stop it. We will have to form our own militia.” Sadr’s group has denied responsibility for the bombing. Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), one of the country’s main Shiite groups, said it was the target of the attack, Reuters reported. Full Story
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