El atentado de Samarra, una obra muy bien hecha

De United Press International:

Iraqi experts have concluded that the destruction of the dome of the Golden Mosque in Samara that set off the current nationwide civic strife in Iraq was a careful and through professional demolition job that took half a day of uninterrupted work to prepare.

Egypt’s al-Ahram newspaper is reporting that Iraqi Construction Minister Jassem Mohammed Jaafar toured the al-Askariya shrine and after inspecting it concluded that the placing of the explosives to destroy the dome was a meticulous operation that must have taken at least 12 hours.

Jaaafar said, «Holes were dug into the mausoleum’s four main pillars and packed with explosives. Then charges were connected together and linked to another charge placed just under the dome. The wires were then linked to a detonator which was triggered at a distance.»

Initial media reports said that four men were responsible for the assault, taking five shrine guards hostage while they planted their munitions. However, al-Ahram reported that the shrine’s security detail is supposed include a contingent of 35 Iraqi Interior Ministry troops because of the mosque importance to the Shiite community.

On Feb. 22 explosions at Iraq’s al-Askariya shrine in Samara severely damaged the temple complex, where the bodies of the 10th and 11th Shiite imams, Imam Ali al-Hadi and his son Hassan al-Askari are buried.

Samara is also where the 12th and last Imam Mohammed al-Mahdi disappeared, whom Shiites believe will return and restore justice to the world.

Samara itself is a predominantly Sunni city and the Askariya itself is governed by the government body Sunni Endowment. Prior to the bombing the Sunnis in Samara were proud of their care of the Askariya complex as a symbol of Shiite-Sunni brotherhood.