The people of Najaf buried their dead Saturday a day after a car bomb ripped through a crowd of worshippers, killing at least 125 people — including a top Shiite cleric.
The bomb, which also wounded more than 200, detonated outside the Imam Ali mosque as Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim emerged after delivering a sermon calling for Iraqi unity. Safa al Hamidi, director of the Najaf Teaching Hospital, said many of the dead were burned beyond recognition.
Aides to the ayatollah came to the Najaf Teaching Hospital to search for his body, Hamidi said, but were unable to identify it.
The death of Al-Hakim was viewed as another blow to the Americans as he repeatedly asked the country's Shiite majority to be patient with the United States.
Tens of thousands of worshippers were expected to fill the shrine and the surrounding streets for a funeral service later Saturday. The main road leading to the shrine was open only to pedestrians, and residents were seen carrying coffins on the tops of cars and backs of trucks for the funeral service, the AP reported.
Hours after the bombing, residents screamed in the streets in grief and anger. Some attacked reporters, while others continued searching through the debris for more victims. Early Saturday morning, people were still digging through the wreckage in front of the mosque looking for bodies. It did not appear that any investigative teams had yet been able to start their work.
In Iran, where Al-Hakim lived in exile for more than 20 years, Supreme Ledaer, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, declared three days of mourning. He described the tragedy in Najaf as in service to world's hegemonic powers.
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
