Another Shiite Site Is Bombed

At Least 6 Dead Outside Mosque in Third Such Attack in 3 Days

Shiites in Baghdad protest the bombings on Friday that killed 79 people at Baratha mosque, the religious center for the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the largest Shiite religious party in Iraq's governing coalition. (By Ali Jasim -- Reuters)

BAGHDAD, April 8 -- A car bomb blew up outside a Shiite mosque 35 miles south of Baghdad on Saturday, killing six people and wounding 19 in the third attack on a Shiite place of worship in as many days, heightening fears that a concerted effort is underway to spark another deadly round of sectarian violence.

The blast occurred as pilgrims were entering and leaving the Awlad Muslim Shiite shrine and mosque in Musayyib, according to police Capt. Muthanna Ahmed. He said a pickup truck parked near shops exploded at the entrance to the mosque.

The Reuters news agency quoted a town resident, Ahmed Abbas, as saying that a man parked the vehicle outside a busy shop, said it was broken down and walked away.

The blast followed a triple suicide bombing Friday at the Baratha mosque in Baghdad that killed at least 79 people. The mosque is the religious center for the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the biggest Shiite religious party in Iraq's governing coalition. On Thursday, at least 13 people were killed when a minibus exploded near the Imam Ali mosque in the southern city of Najaf, the home of numerous Shiite religious leaders.

Although it was unclear who was behind the attacks -- and whether they were related -- political and military analysts here assert that Sunni insurgents, particularly the al-Qaeda in Iraq organization led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, have targeted Shiites to incite retaliatory attacks. The aim, they say, is to foment a cycle of sectarian bloodshed, destabilize the country and drag Iraq into civil war.

The head of the Supreme Council, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, urged the crowd at a rally of Shiites on Saturday not to take the bait, saying Sunni extremists and insurgents want to restore the authority and influence that Sunnis held during the rule of deposed president Saddam Hussein.

"This nation will not fall into the trap of sectarian war that is being pursued by Zarqawi's group," he said.

U.S. officials in particular hope that the creation of a national-unity government that includes Shiites, Sunni Arabs and Kurds will bring stability and peace to Iraq. Almost four months after elections, negotiations to form a new government remain deadlocked over who will be the next prime minister.

Other attacks around Iraq killed 14 more people on Saturday, the eve of the third anniversary of the fall of Baghdad and the overthrow of Hussein.

The bodies of four Iraqis who worked with U.S. forces at the Speicher military base near the northern city of Tikrit were found partially buried and shot to death about 60 miles southwest of Tikrit, according to police Col. Nawzad Omar Wali. Ten people were injured in three explosions targeting police forces Saturday in and around Kirkuk, police there said.

The Associated Press reported that four decapitated bodies were found on a farm about 20 miles north of Baghdad.

The U.S. military said in a statement that a Marine was shot and killed by an Iraqi soldier at a base near Qaim, close to the Syrian border, on Thursday. A different U.S. statement said the Iraqi soldier was then shot by another Marine. The Iraqi was described as in "very serious condition."

Sarhan reported from Najaf. Other Washington Post staff contributed to this report.