Men killed at Basra mosque: police, Sunnis say

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) – A Sunni religious group in the
Shi’ite-dominated Iraqi city of Basra said on Sunday that
police had gunned down 12 unarmed worshippers in a Sunni mosque
but police said they were returning fire against gunmen.

A police source said they received a tip that “terrorists”
had taken refuge inside al-Arab mosque and were fired on when
they surrounded it on Saturday night. They said nine gunmen
were killed and six arrested.

The violence came hours after a car bomb killed 28 people
in Basra, challenging a state of emergency imposed by new Prime
Minister Nuri al-Maliki aimed at cracking down on gangs,
militias and feuding Shi’ite factions threatening oil exports.

Sunnis often accuse Shi’ite militias of infiltrating Iraqi
police units and of carrying out killings against members of
Iraq’s once-dominant minority.

“We accuse the security forces (police) in Basra for what
happened,” said the Sunni Endowment in a statement read to
Reuters by one of its officials.

“Only worshipers were killed in the mosque,” it said. “They
killed unarmed people inside the mosque.”

But a police source rejected this account, saying police
were fired at when they came to the mosque in the center of the
southern city.

“We got information that terrorists were inside the mosque
and when we got there they fired at us and we responded,” the
source said.

Security in Iraq’s second city has deteriorated sharply
over the last year as feuding Shi’ite factions tussle for
powers.