Three killed in Baghdad mosque raid
Iraqi forces, backed by US soldiers, stormed one of the major Sunni Muslim mosques in Baghdad after Friday prayers, opening fire and killing at least three people, witnesses said.
About 40 people were arrested during the raid at the Abu Hanifa mosque. About five people were wounded.
US troops were seen securing the outer perimeter of the area and sealing it off. Some American soldiers were also seen inside the mosque compound.
Witnesses heard explosions coming from inside the mosque, apparently from stun grenades.
Inside the office of the imam, books and a computer were found scattered on the floor, and the furniture was turned upside down.
Abu Hanifa mosque has long been associated with anti-American agitation and support for the former regime.
Saddam Hussein was seen in the area as the city fell to American forces in April 2003. US Marines fought a fierce gun battle with Saddam loyalists around the mosque on April 10, 2003, the day after the overthrown dictator’s statue was hauled down on Firdous Square.
The Iraqi government warned yesterday that Islamic clerics who incite violence will be considered as ”participating in terrorism”.
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