Iraqi Police Impose Curfew, Evacuate Shi'ite Pilgrims From Karbala
28 August 2007
Authorities in the Iraqi city of Karbala have imposed an indefinite curfew and police say they are evacuating Shi'ite pilgrims after gunmen and police clashed during a major religious festival.
Police say buses have been readied to take pilgrims out of the holy city as police and army reinforcements move in.
Gunfights broke out near two major Shi'ite shrines, the focal points of celebrations marking the birth of Mohammed al-Mahdi, the 12th and last Shi'ite imam.
Hundreds of thousands of Shi'ite pilgrims are in Karbala for the annual two-day festival.
In the past, gunmen have disrupted Shi'ite festivals in the city.
Monday, pilgrims angry about security restrictions fought with police, who used gunfire. Officials say at least five people were killed and more than 20 wounded.
In other news, the U.S. military says Iraqi and coalition forces killed 33 insurgents in a joint operation north of Baghdad. A military statement says the operation reopened a major irrigation canal that had been seized by gunmen.
The U.S. military also says coalition forces killed eight terrorists and detained 11 suspects in separate operations elsewhere in central and northern Iraq Tuesday.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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