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Baghdad Announces Two-Day Vehicle Ban
August 19, 2006 -- The Iraqi government has announced a two-day vehicle ban in parts of Baghdad, to reduce the threat of attacks during a major Shi'ite religious festival.
The move came as Shi'ite pilgrims began gathering at the shrine of Imam Musa Kadhim in Al-Khadimiya in northern Baghdad to mark his death in 799.
The vehicle ban announced by the Defense Ministry refers to about 11 districts around Al-Kadhimiya, on both sides of the Tigris River, from the evening of August 18 until the morning of August 21.
"It is a gift from God that we are safe to come here because of our brothers in the police, the army and the Interior Ministry," one Shi'ite pilgrim was quoted as saying.
Nearly 1,000 Shi'ite pilgrims were killed in a stampede during last year's ceremony, when a crowd heading toward the shrine was panicked by rumors of a suicide bomber. Most of the victims were women and children.
On August 18, seven pilgrims walking to Al-Kadhimiya were shot dead by gunmen in a car in the Al-Adel district of Baghdad.
(Reuters)
Copyright (c) 2006. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
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