Shiite-Sunni Friction in Iraq leads to Violence
Violence continues in Iraq, including clashes in southern Iraq between rival Shiite Muslim groups. In Baghdad, some Sunni mosques were shut down in response to calls from prayer leaders who are angry over the government's failure to stop attacks on Sunni Muslims.
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Iraq was the scene of several demonstrations today. One protest in southern Iraq turned violent, wounding five Iraqi soldiers, three Shiite gunmen, and a young bystander. The US military, meanwhile, launched an investigation into how unflattering photographs of the imprisoned Saddam Hussein were leaked to two tabloid newspapers, Britain's daily Sun and the New York Post. NPR's Peter Kenyon reports from Baghdad.
PETER KENYON reporting:
Thousands of Shiite supporters of the radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr turned out for protests today, some against the US military presence in Iraq, and others denouncing Newsweek magazine's now retracted allegations of US abuse of the holy Koran. One protest turned violent as Sadr militiamen traded fire with Iraqi forces in the southern city of Nasiriyah. The largest Sunni mosques in Baghdad, meanwhile, will be closed for three days to protest the killing or detention of prominent Sunni clerics. Some Sunnis accuse the Iraqi government or the Shiite Badr Brigade militia of involvement in the killings.
The US military, meanwhile, is angered by the leaks of photographs of Saddam Hussein in US custody clad only in his underwear. In a statement, the US military said the leak may have violated Saddam's rights as a detainee under the Geneva Convention. Iraqi and US officials fear that the photos may re-energize an already bloody insurgency believed to be made up largely of members of the former dictator's regime. Peter Kenyon, NPR News, Baghdad.
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