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| Blast hits key Iraq Shia shrine | Blast hits key Iraq Shia shrine |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The two minarets of the al-Askari shrine in Iraq, one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, have been damaged by an explosion, officials say. | The two minarets of the al-Askari shrine in Iraq, one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, have been damaged by an explosion, officials say. |
| There are unconfirmed reports that the minarets have collapsed after being hit by a bomb blast around 0900 (0500 GMT). | There are unconfirmed reports that the minarets have collapsed after being hit by a bomb blast around 0900 (0500 GMT). |
| The shrine houses one of two tombs in Samarra for revered Shia imams, which attract pilgrims from around the world. | The shrine houses one of two tombs in Samarra for revered Shia imams, which attract pilgrims from around the world. |
| The bombing of the dome at the mosque in 2006 is widely believed to have sparked outright sectarian conflict. | |
| A cleric responsible for Shia shrines in Iraq said the minarets had been blown up by "terrorists". | |
| "It is a terrorist attack aimed at sparking sectarian violence," Sheikh Saleh al-Haidari told the AFP news agency | |
| Samarra is mainly a Sunni Muslim stronghold and has been a centre of the armed insurgency against US troops and the Shia-dominated Iraqi administration. | |
| The al-Askari shrine is part of the Imam Ali al-Hadi mausoleum, which contains the remains of the 10th and 11th imams, reputed to be direct descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. | |
| Imam Ali al-Hadi died in 868 AD and his son, Hassan al-Askari, died in 874 AD. | |
| The spiral minaret on top of one of the city's other holy sites, the Sunni Great Mosque of Samarra, was damaged in April 2003. |