Iraq: Sunni mosques attacked south of Baghdad

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
At least three Sunni mosques were attacked south of Baghdad on Thursday, police said, in apparent retaliation for the destruction of two minarets at the Shi'ite Askariya shrine in Samarra a day earlier. Wednesday's attack was blamed on Sunni extremists with links to al-Qaida. Police said four Sunni mosques near Baghdad were attacked or burned within several hours of the Samarra explosions. One of those Sunni mosques, which was only partially destroyed, came under attack again Thursday, police said. Around 4 a.m., insurgents broke into the Hateen mosque in Iskandariyah, 50 kilometers south of Baghdad, and planted bombs inside.