2010 Al-Kazimiyya Mosque bombings

Last updated

Al-Kazimiyya Mosque bombings
KadhimaynMosque02.jpg
Mausoleum of Musa Kadhim
Location Kadhimiya, Baghdad, Iraq
Date6-8 July 2010
19:45 – (UTC+4)
TargetShia pilgrims
Attack type
Suicide bomb + other bombings
Deaths70+ [1]
Injured400+ [2]
PerpetratorsUnknown

In early July 2010, a series of bombing attacks in Baghdad, Iraq killed at least 70 people while injuring 400 [1] [2] during a Shia pilgrimage to Al-Kazimiyya Mosque, the mausoleum of Musa al-Kadhim. [3] The bombings targeted those on the annual pilgrimage and took place from 6 to 8 July. The pilgrimage has been attacked in previous years by Sunni extremists and in 2005 was the site of a stampede that killed up to 1,000 people.

Contents

Background

The pilgrimage to Al-Kazimiyya Mosque is of significance to Shia Muslims, as he was the seventh of 12 revered imams in Shia Islam. The pilgrimage was due to reach its climax on the night of the bombing and into the early hours of the next day.

In 2005, 1,000 people were killed in a crowd crush on the way to this mausoleum during the same pilgrimage. In 2009, Shia pilgrims were killed on the way to the shrine (including many Iranians) in a suicide attack. [3] [4]

The attacks also followed US Vice President Joe Biden's visit to meet senior Iraqi officials to urge them to form a government. [1]

Attacks

During the Shia pilgrimage festivities to the mosque that lasted three days from 6 – 8 July various attacks in the city took place. The most deadly attack occurred in the hours before tens of thousands of Shia's came into Baghdad amid heavy security for the pilgrimage. Hundreds of tents were erected to feed people as they came into town. Another bomb struck in the central Bab al-Muazam neighbourhood while a third exploded in the southeastern Mashtal district. [1]

The deadliest attack occurred in Adhamiyah district on 7 July, killing 28 people and leaving a further 136 wounded. [2] Eleven more people in the area were killed in bomb attacks on the same day. [2] Further attacks were carried out whilst the pilgrimage ended on 8 July that killed 11 and injured more than 77 more. [2] Some of the attacks were made with mortars and others with roadside bombs. [5]

Heavy security had been put in place prior to the attacks as bombings that target Shia pilgrims are common in Iraq. Military checkpoints were in place and all vehicular traffic had been banned on several of Baghdad's main bridges. [2] Major General Qassim Atta of the Baghdad police said special safety measures, including road closures, were employed to protect the pilgrims. "We continue to organise transport for pilgrims and air surveillance for their benefit. The movement of motorcycles, bicycles and carts is banned throughout the city until further notice." However, a lone suicide bomber struck the crowd en route to the shrine. [3]

Responsibility

Though no one claimed responsibility, a correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor said that in the past "these very large Shia pilgrimages have been targeted by Sunni militants interested in increasing sectarian tension[s]." [3] The attacks were seen as a "clear indication of the determination of anti-government fighters to exploit Iraq's political vacuum and destabilise the country as US troops prepare to leave." [1]

Reaction

Flag of Lebanon.svg Opposition party Hezbollah condemned the attacks for its targeting of pilgrims visiting the Holy Shrine and considered its perpetrators "heartless and inhumane criminals who seek to sabotage Iraq, targeting its security and stability." A statement it released, emphasized that "such acts are in service of the US occupation and its devilish schemes as Iraq had turned into a scene of genocides since the US soldiers set foot in the country, targeting those believers, the holy shrines and the mosques." It also expressed "sincere feelings of sympathy and support to the families of the victims, calling upon the sons of Iraq to uncover the murderers and sanctioning them." [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baqubah</span> Place in Diyala Governorate, Iraq

Baqubah is the capital of Iraq's Diyala Governorate. The city is located some 50 km (31 mi) to the northeast of Baghdad, on the Diyala River. In 2003 it had an estimated population of some 280,000 people.

Events in the year 2005 in Iraq.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imam Husayn Shrine</span> Burial site of Husayn ibn Ali in Karbala, Iraq

The Imam Husayn Shrine is the mosque and burial site of Husayn ibn Ali, the third Imam of Shia Islam, in the city of Karbala, Iraq. It stands on the site of the Mausoleum of Husayn, who was a grandson of Muhammad, near the place where he embraced martyrdom during the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE The tomb of Husayn is one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, outside of Mecca and Medina, and many make pilgrimages to the site. Every year, millions of pilgrims visit the city to observe Ashura, which marks the commemoration of Husayn's death for all Muslims.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 al-Askari mosque bombing</span> Attack on a Shia mosque in Iraq

The 2006 al-Askari Shrine bombing occurred on 22 February 2006 at approximately 6:44 a.m. local Iraqi time, and targeted the al-Askari Shrine in the city of Samarra, Iraq. The attack on the mosque, one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, has not been claimed by any group; the then President of the United States, George W. Bush, claimed that the bombing was an al-Qaeda plot. Although the mosque was severely damaged from the blast, there were no casualties.

The following lists events that happened during 2006 in Iraq.

Events in the year 2007 in Iraq.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 al-Askari mosque bombing</span> Formally unclaimed attack on a Shia Islamic mosque in the Iraqi city of Samarra

The 2007 al-Askari mosque bombing occurred on 13 June 2007 at around 9 am local time at one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, the al-Askari Mosque, and has been attributed by Iran to the Iraqi Baath Party. While there were no injuries or deaths reported, the mosque's two ten-story minarets were destroyed in the attacks. This was the second bombing of the mosque, with the first bombing occurring on 22 February 2006 and destroying the mosque's golden dome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sayyida Zaynab Mosque, Syria</span> Mosque in al-Sitt, Syria

The Sayyida Zaynab Mosque is a mosque located in al-Sitt near the capital city of Damascus, Syria. Twelver Shia tradition considers the mosque to contain the grave of Zaynab bint Ali, the daughter of Ali and Fatima, and granddaughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2008</span>

This article details major terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2008. In 2008, there were 257 suicide bombings in Iraq. On February 1, a pair of bombs detonated at a market in Baghdad, killing 99 people and injuring 200. Two other particularly deadly attacks occurred on March 6, and June 17.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2009</span>

This article details major terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2009. In 2009, there were 257 suicide bombings in Iraq. On April 23, a suicide bombing to a restaurant in Miqdadiyah killed 57 people, while a separate bombing in southeastern Baghdad killed 28. The next day, on April 24, a Shi'a shrine was targeted, in a bombing that killed 60. October and December saw two attacks kill over 100 people, with bombings on October 25 and December 8.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2010</span>

This is a list of terrorist incidents in Iraq during 2010. Major attacks include a 1 February attack killing 54 in Baghdad, and a 10 May attack killed 45 at a fabrics factory in Hillah.

al-Sitt City in Rif Dimashq Governorate, Syria

Al-Sitt, also spelled Elset, is a city in the Rif Dimashq Governorate of Syria. Al-Sitt is 10 km (6 mi) south of the country's capital Damascus. With a population of 136,427, it is the 10th most populous city in Syria and the most populous satellite city of Damascus. Administratively, the town is located in Markaz Rif Dimashq district and belongs to the nahiyah ("subdistrict") of Babbila.

From 15 to 21 May 2013, a series of deadly bombings and shootings struck the central and northern parts of Iraq, with a few incidents occurring in towns in the south and far west as well. The attacks killed at least 449 people and left 732 others injured in one of the deadliest outbreaks of violence in years.

The following lists events the happened in 2013 in Iraq.

Shia Muslims have been persecuted by the Islamic State, an Islamic extremist group, since 2014. Persecutions have taken place in Iraq, Syria, and other parts of the world.

On 7 July 2016, at least 56 people were killed and 75 injured after a group of attackers stormed the Mausoleum of Sayid Mohammed bin Ali al-Hadi, a Shia holy site in Balad, Iraq. The attackers included suicide car bombers, suicide bombers on foot, and several gunmen. They attacked Shia pilgrims celebrating Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. There were three suicide bombers, and one of them was killed by security personnel. There were other attackers too. ISIL also launched several mortars into the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Shah Cheragh attack</span> 2022 mass shooting in Iran

The Shah Cheragh attack was a terrorist attack that occurred on 26 October 2022 at Shah Cheragh mosque, a Shia pilgrimage site in Shiraz in southern Iran, in which at least 13 people were killed.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Deadly attacks target Iraq pilgrims". english.aljazeera.net. Archived from the original on 15 July 2010. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Abboud, Assad (8 July 2010). "Baghdad attacks on Shiite pilgrims kill 70 in three days". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 8 July 2010.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Pilgrims die in Iraq suicide attack". Al Jazeera. 7 July 2010. Archived from the original on 7 February 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  4. "Fresh Iraq bombings hit Shia pilgrims in Baghdad". BBC News. 8 July 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  5. "Nearly 70 dead in 3 days of Baghdad violence". Australia Network News. 8 July 2010. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  6. http://www.almanar.com.lb/newssite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=145648&language=en [ dead link ]