BAGHDAD — Al Qaida operatives have attacked thousands of Shi'ites in Baghdad
during their annual pilgrimage.
On Sunday, at least 20 people were killed
and 300 were injured when Al Qaida gunmen fired into a Shi'ite procession in
the Iraqi capital.
The Al Qaida snipers fired from the rooftops above the procession in
northern Baghdad. Iraqi police officers killed four of the gunmen.
Shi'ite militias also sought to guard the pilgrims. Several battles were
reported between the militias and Sunni gunmen.
In 2005, about 1,000 people died during the Shi'ite procession in
Baghdad. A Sunni suicide bomber triggered a stampede by tens of thousands of
people on a bridge across the Tigris River.
The U.S. and Iraqi militaries have bolstered their presence in Baghdad
to prevent ethnic clashes and the prospect of a Shi'ite coup. The U.S.
military has deployed an additional 12,000 soldiers in the capital.
The U.S. military said Iraq Army units captured three so-called death
squad leaders during raids in Baghdad on Aug. 18. Officials said the
detained leaders were believed to have participated in a massacre of Iraqi
families on July 9 in Al Jihad.
Officials said one of the suspects was a senior-level insurgent who
organized the massacre. They said the other headed a cell that was
responsible for kidnappings and murders in two Baghdad districts.
