Nepal's government imposed a curfew on the streets of Kathmandu after mobs ransacked a mosque and an Arab airlines office in protest at the killing of 12 Nepalese hostages in Iraq.
Prior to setting fire to the Jama Masjid mosque, the capital's largest Muslim shrine, protesters set up a sidewalk bonfire out of furniture and electrical equipment pulled from the building.
Riot police used batons to control the angry protestors and managed to push them back outside the sensitive central area which also contains the Narayanhity Royal Palace, police said.
Estimating the crowd at around 5,000 people, a police officer said the area had been sealed off and police were trying to disperse the crowd. The mosque suffered only minor damage, but many of its contents were destroyed.
Protests erupted in Kathmandu late Tuesday after news the 12, who left Nepal in search of jobs, were slain by activists who abducted them about 10 days ago, accusing them of cooperating with US forces.
On Wednesday, the mob, made up mainly of youths, grew in size after early morning attacks on more than a dozen private employment agencies that they blamed for sending the 12 Nepalese jobseekers to Iraq.
They broke windows and set fire to vehicles, furniture, motorcycles and electrical equipment belonging to the agencies, police said.
"There are some people who turned violent and started attacking employment offices in Kathmandu," Home Minister Purna Bahadur Khadka said. "We are trying to avert any serious violence in the capital and outside."
An employee at Qatar Airways, one of the main airlines used by Nepalese seeking jobs in the Middle East, said dozens of angry people stormed onto their premises and smashed furniture before setting the building on fire.
Nepal, which is not part of the US-led occupation in Iraq, said the killings marked a "moment of national despair." The government also announced national mourning on Thursday in memory of those killed in Iraq.
According to Home Ministry, all the government offices and academic institutions will remain closed throughout the country. The government has also announced compensation of Rs one million each to the families of Nepalis killed in Iraq. (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
