This article is from the source 'washpo' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/iraq-official-blames-islamic-state-for-bombing-sunni-mosques/2016/01/04/48cc15da-b2d4-11e5-8abc-d09392edc612_story.html

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Iraq official blames IS for bombing Sunni mosques IS attacks troops in western Iraq, killing 11
(about 3 hours later)
BAGHDAD — An Iraqi official blamed the Islamic State group on Monday for the bombing of two Sunni mosques in a predominantly Shiite city in southern Iraq the previous night, saying the militant group seeks to stoke sectarian tensions. BAGHDAD — Islamic State militants attacked Iraqi troops and allied tribal fighters outside the western town of Haditha on Monday, killing at least 11 and wounding dozens, officials said.
Provincial security official Falah al-Khafaji told The Associated Press that IS, “did this to inflame sectarian strife in the country.” Haditha councilman Khalid Suleiman said 30 troops were wounded in the attacks, which included a suicide car bombing and roadside bombs. A medical official in Haditha confirmed the casualty figures on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to release information.
The bombing in the city of Hilla late on Sunday damaged both mosques but caused no casualties, according to the government. The attack comes a week after Iraqi troops backed by U.S.-led airstrikes and Sunni tribesmen pushed IS out of central Ramadi, capital of the sprawling Anbar province, which also includes Haditha.
The attacks come amid an escalating Saudi-Iranian spat over the kingdom’s execution of prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, which sparked outrage among Shiites across the region over the weekend. In Baghdad Monday, supporters of influential Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr gathered outside the heavily fortified Green Zone to protest the Nimr execution, demanding Iraq cut diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia. Pockets of IS fighters remain to the east and north of the city and have launched daily counterattacks against Iraqi military positions, mostly using suicide car bombs.
However Khafaji said he doesn’t believe that the Hilla bombings were carried out by Shiites seeking revenge, instead blaming IS for seeking to exploit the current Sunni-Shiite tensions. Authorities are beefing up security around the two targeted mosques and other Sunni mosques in the city, he said. Col. Steve Warren, the Baghdad-based spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition, said most attacks were repelled with a combination of air support and the heavier weaponry Iraqi forces are now equipped with.
After years of violent armed struggles between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq, the government seems eager to defuse the situation and prevent Shiite militias from attacking Sunni communities or institutions. “ISIL’s standard tactic now is to go in with car bombs or truck bombs supported by infantry,” Warren said, using an alternative acronym for the group. “They use (car bombs) to try to break a hole (in a defensive line) or seize a piece of ground.”
Following local media reports claiming the Hilla bombings were revenge for al-Nimr’s execution, Iraq’s Ministry of Interior released a statement saying the attacks were aimed at exploiting regional tensions to “alienate Iraq’s communities from one another.” IS had captured Ramadi in May, in one of its biggest advances since the U.S.-led coalition began striking the group in 2014. Recapturing the city, which is the provincial capital of Anbar, provided a major morale boost for Iraqi forces.
The statement also called on Iraqi journalists to “show national and professional responsibility,” and not to “promote the aims of Iraq’s enemies.” ___
Demonstrations against the Nimr execution and Saudi Arabia are also being called for in the predominantly Shiite southern cities of Najaf and Basra Monday. Associated Press writer Susannah George in Baghdad, Iraq contributed to this report.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.