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As Sunni Mosque Falls, Sadr Issues a Call
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Lt. Col. Christopher C. Garver, a U.S. military spokesman, said that in theory, demonstrations are "a part of democracy," and that if Sadr "can do it peacefully, with no one getting hurt, that's a good thing."
In a sermon Friday in Kufa, about 90 miles south of Baghdad, one of Sadr's followers urged Shiites to rebuild the Samarra shrine, saying the second attack would not have occurred if repairs from the first had been underway.
"The enemy would not have dared to repeat their strike," said Salah al-Obaidy. "If you want to defend yourselves, your imams, then go ahead and start the reconstruction."
Analysts said that many lessons have been learned, and circumstances have changed, since the February 2006 attack.
In particular, thousands of extra troops were on the streets of the capital this week because of a new U.S. security plan, and the government immediately imposed a four-day curfew, as opposed to 2006, when the government did not act until after the sectarian backlash had begun. In addition, the extra Iraqi troops currently in Baghdad are mostly from the army, which is less sectarian than the Iraqi police force.
Ayad Jamaludeen, a Shiite cleric and member of parliament from the secular Iraqiya party, said Iraqis are sick of violence and tired of being used as pawns by al-Qaeda in Iraq.
"Al-Qaeda cannot live except in a situation where there is sectarian tension and crisis," he said. "The Iraqis have understood this and now recognize who the enemy is."
In other developments Saturday, the remains of 13 members of an Iraqi tae kwon do team kidnapped last year were found near Ramadi, 60 miles west of Baghdad, police said. The team was abducted in May 2006 while driving to a training camp in Jordan. Two of the athletes remained unaccounted for.
Other Washington Post staff in Iraq contributed to this report.
