Shiite pilgrims converge on Baghdad By SAMEER N. YACOUB, Associated Press Writer

Shiite pilgrims converge on Baghdad By SAMEER N. YACOUB, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 19 minutes ago



BAGHDAD - Tens of thousands of Shiite pilgrims converged on a golden-domed shrine in northern Baghdad on Thursday, some beating their heads and chests with their hands and others dancing in a circle to honor an eighth century saint known for his ability to hide his anger.

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The procession took place under tight security with guards checking each pilgrim as they reached the green iron gates of the Imam Moussa al-Kadhim mosque and a citywide driving ban in effect until early Saturday to prevent suicide car bombings.

Shiite religious festivals have become easy targets for Sunni insurgents trying to provoke an all-out civil war between Iraq's main Muslim groups. This festival was struck by tragedy two years ago, when an estimated 1,000 pilgrims were killed in a stampede after reports spread that a suicide attacker was among them — the biggest single loss of life since the U.S.-led war began in March 2003.

The festival also faced violence last year when snipers firing from rooftops and a cemetery killed at least 20 people and wounded dozens in a series of attacks on the pilgrims as they walked through Sunni areas.

Still, women shrouded in black abayas and men of all ages walked for hours or even days from holy cities south of Baghdad and volatile Diyala province to the north to reach the mosque with twin golden domes and four minarets that sparkled in the unrelenting summer sun. Boats ferried pilgrims across the Tigris to the eastern banks in the neighborhood of Kazamiyah.

"I have come here to get the blessing of the martyr imam and to challenge the terrorism of the Wahhabists," said Hussein Mizaal, a 21-year-old college student from southeastern Baghdad. "We are not afraid of anyone except God. Our faith is getting stronger despite their mean attacks," he said, referring to the austere Wahhabi sect of Sunni Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia.

In scattered attacks reported by police, seven pilgrims were killed and four wounded when gunmen in a speeding car opened fire and threw hand grenades at them as they were en route to Baghdad from the Dabouniyah area, 75 miles to the southeast.

Gunmen fired on Iraqi soldiers guarding pilgrims in the predominantly Sunni neighborhood of Yarmouk in western Baghdad, prompting a battle and panic that left one attacker dead and one soldier and three pilgrims wounded.

A bomb exploded near the house of a Shiite family, killing a man and his wife, and wounding three, including a 5-year-old child, in the volatile, religiously mixed neighborhood of Baiyaa in western Baghdad,

A Shiite pilgrim also was killed and six others injured when a fire broke out on a train running from central Baghdad to Kazimiyah. Police said the blaze was due to an electrical problem.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military said two U.S. Marines died Tuesday west of Baghdad — one in fighting and the other in a non-combat incident that was under investigation.

At least 3,682 members of the U.S. military have died since the war began in 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

Also Thursday, two British soldiers were killed and two others were seriously wounded when a roadside bomb hit their convoy north of the Rumaylah oil fields west of Basra, the British Ministry of Defense said.

A total of 168 British personnel have died in Iraq. Britain has about 5,000 troops in the country, most based around the southern city of Basra.

The ceremony honoring the anniversary of al-Kadhim's death is not one of the most important in the Shiite faith, but it has gained significance in Iraq because they were banned under Saddam Hussein's Sunni-dominated regime.

Imam Moussa ibn Jaafar al-Kadhim, who died in the year 799, was the seventh of 12 principal Shiite saints, known for his patience and his ability to suppress his anger. The mosque was built atop what were believed to be the tombs of al-Kadhim and his grandson.

Crowds waved green Islamic flags and the Iraqi standard as they massed around the mosque in the Kazimiyah neighborhood. Green coffins symbolizing the imam were carried overhead and pilgrims reached out to touch the walls of the mosque.

Parents put green headbands or armbands on their babies, and men linked arms as they walked down the street. People rushed to help lift wheelchairs and strollers over checkpoint barriers.

Tents strung with colored lights and flowers provided shade and water, while vendors offered pilgrims egg sandwiches, soup, yogurt and tea. Many pilgrims had arrived a day early and slept in the street or in tents provided for women.

Loudspeakers played religious music across the city of 6 million people.

Haider Farhan, 23, was finally beginning his trek from Sadr City to the shrine after spending most of Wednesday distributing food to pilgrims along the route.

"I am so tired, but I am determined to visit the shrine today," he said. "We are heading to the shrine in order to show our respect to the Imam al-Khadim and to our religion. We are expecting death any minute, but this will never deter us. God willing, all will be safe."

Hassan Hadi, a 24-year-old college student, said he and seven friends took about 4 1/2 hours to walk from Sadr City to the shrine in Kazamiyah.

"This is a very dear day for the Shiites. We have come here to commemorate the martyrdom of al-Kadhim who sacrificed his life for the sake of supreme principles of Shiites," Hadi said. "We are not afraid of explosions, which we are used to. I am very happy to see this number of believers gathering here today. This shows the unity of the Iraqi people."

The local Iraqi army command estimated the crowd at about 3 million people, but there was no way to verify that.

More than 1,800 Iraqi security forces were guarding the mosque complex, including 625 agents inside the shrine, officials said. Shiite militiamen also were known to be deployed throughout the area.

U.S. troops took a lower-key security role, staying away from the mosque at the pilgrimage's heart to show respect, said the top U.S. ground commander in the area, Lt. Col. Steve Miska, the leader of Task Force Justice.

The Iraqi military spokesman for Baghdad, Brig. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, said security forces were on high alert, with helicopters on the lookout for mortar- launching teams.

"The security measures are tight and there is a high coordination with the Multi-National forces and local committees and other ministries," al-Moussawi told the Shiite Al-Forat TV station. "We can expect anything from the terrorists on this day."

Authorities also imposed an indefinite vehicle ban in the Shiite city of Hillah, south of Baghdad, which has been hit by some of the war's deadliest bombings.

Sunnis in Baghdad, meanwhile, expressed frustration over the three-day driving ban that began Wednesday as the Shiite-led government sought to protect the pilgrims from attacks.

"A number of sects live in Iraq, not only one and that three-day curfew is really too much for us," said Khalid Hussein Saleh, a 35-year old Sunni taxi driver in Baghdad's western Ghazaliyah neighborhood. "As a taxi driver, I earn my living on a daily basis. How can I feed my family now?"

For the second day, Amer Mohammed Ali was unable to open his grocery store in Baghdad's western Shurta area because traffic was banned and he was unable to get supplies.

"This curfew has really confused citizens and delayed everything," the 45-year old Sunni said. "The government should have secured one or two roads for the pilgrims and not imposed such a curfew on all of Baghdad."

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Associated Press writers Sinan Salaheddin and Lauren Frayer in Baghdad contributed to this report.