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Iraqi Leaders Demand Inquiry Into Mosque Bombing

1 March 2006 -- Iraqi politicians are demanding an inquiry into allegations that the government did not act on a warning about a plan to bomb a major Shi'ite shrine.

Last week's destruction of the shrine in Samarra has sparked sectarian violence which has claimed hundreds of lives in reprisal attacks. Iraqi and U.S. officials have blamed the bombing on Al-Qaeda.

An independent Sunni member of parliament, Mithal al-Alusi, today called for the immediate establishment of a committee to check out reports that the government had received information of the attack beforehand.

A spokesperson for the main minority Sunni political bloc – the Iraqi Accordance Front -- said the government's apparent failure to act raised questions about its role in the incident.

At least 30 people were killed today in renewed violence in Baghdad. North of the capital, police say gunmen ambushed a police convoy, killing at least one policeman, injuring four, and abducting some 10 others.

(Reuters, AP, AFP)

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