2015-01-02 17:30
Basra - Gunmen shot dead three Sunni clerics in the Shiite-majority southern province of Basra, Iraqi officials said on Friday.
Raikan
Mahdi, the head of the security committee for the province's Al-Zubair
district, said the shooting by "unknown gunmen" also wounded two more
clerics.
Mahdi said the attack took place as the clerics headed
from provincial capital Basra to Al-Zubair after attending a meeting on
preparations for celebrating the Prophet Mohammed's birthday.
Also read: Iraq official: ISIS siege of Mount Sinjar broken
Interior Minister Mohammed Ghabban ordered an investigation into the attack, the ministry said in a statement.
It
blamed the violence on "forces serving the (Islamic State group)
project," a reference to a Sunni jihadist organisation that spearheaded a
sweeping offensive that overran large parts of the country.
But
the Iraqi Islamic Party, one of the main Sunni political parties, said
the attack was carried out by "criminal militias," an apparent reference
to Shiite fighters Baghdad has turned to for support in its battle
against IS.
Shiite militiamen have played key roles in operations
against the jihadists, but have also carried out kidnappings and
extrajudicial killings
While pro-government forces have regained some ground from IS, large areas are still outside Baghdad's control.
No comments:
Post a Comment