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07 April 2006

U.S. Envoy to Iraq Condemns Bombing of Baghdad's Buratha Mosque

Bombers target worshippers gathered for Friday prayers

U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad condemned the April 7 bombing of the Buratha Mosque in Baghdad, which killed at least 79 worshippers and wounded more than 160 people leaving the mosque following Friday prayers.

“The terrorists who seek to murder innocent people who worship at Iraq’s holy sites and religious institutions are the enemies of all faiths and of all humanity,” Khalilzad said in a written statement.  “The United States condemns this cowardly act in the strongest possible terms.”

According to wire reports, two or three assailants entered the Shi'a mosque dressed in black abayas and detonated themselves among the worshippers.  The attack comes one day after a minivan loaded with explosives blew up outside another Shi'a mosque, the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf. (See related article.)

Khalilzad urged Iraqis to show restraint in the wake of the attack and “to continue to resist the provocation to sectarian violence.”  He pledged the United States’ assistance in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

For additional information, see Iraq Update.

Following is the text of Khalilzad’s statement:

(begin text)

Embassy of the United States of America
Baghdad, Iraq

Embassy Spokesman’s Office
Phone: (914) 360-6452
Iraqna: 07901-819-314
Email: BaghdadPressOffice@state.gov

NEWS RELEASE
Statement by U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad
On the Bombing of the Buratha Mosque
April 7, 2006

I offer my sincerest condolences to the people of Iraq in the wake of the vicious bombing attack on worshippers at the Buratha mosque in Baghdad.  The terrorists who seek to murder innocent people who worship at Iraq’s holy sites and religious institutions are the enemies of all faiths and of all humanity.  The United States condemns this cowardly act in the strongest possible terms.

I urge all Iraqis to exercise restraint in the wake of this tragedy, to come together to fight terror, to continue to resist the provocation to sectarian violence, and to pursue justice within the framework of Iraq’s laws and constitution.  The United States will continue to do everything in its power to assist the Government of Iraq in brining to justice those responsible for this heinous crime.

May God bless the people of Iraq.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)