Minarets on Iraq's Golden Dome destroyed

[liberal N proud]

BAGHDAD - Iraq's top Shiite religious leader called for restraint on Wednesday after insurgents blew up the two minarets of the Golden Dome Shiite shrine in Samarra, where a 2006 bombing unleashed a wave of sectarian violence that bloodied the country for more than a year.

<snip>

Dome destroyed
The Askariya shrine’s dome was destroyed on Feb. 22, 2006 in a bombing blamed on Sunni Muslim militants believed to be linked to al-Qaida. The mosque compound and minarets had remained intact but closed after that bombing.

The U.S. military headquarters in the area had no immediate information about Wednesday’s attack. “We’re only hearing initial reports ourselves, and we’re looking into it,” said Capt. Jennifer Nihill, a spokeswoman for Task Force Lightning.

The attack came a day after U.S. and Iraqi forces raided a sweets factory being used as a headquarters by suspected Sunni insurgents in northern Iraq, which has seen a recent rise in violence as militants have fled a nearly 4-month-old security crackdown in Baghdad.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19200715/

[northernsoul]

1. oh. goody.

I'm sure the Al-Sadr army is going to take all of this calmly and in stride.

[global1]

2. I Thought I Heard Yesterday That Negroponte Was Back In Iraq......

Is he fueling the fire again so * can keep this occupation going come September?

Death squads?

Mix it up. Keep the rivaling factions on each others back.