Cars off Baghdad’s streets as Shi’ites gather

By Ross Colvin

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The Iraqi government ordered all
vehicles off the streets of the capital, fearing a possible
attack on thousands of Shi’ite pilgrims gathering in Baghdad on
Saturday to mark the death of a revered 8th Century imam.

The government on Friday announced a two-day vehicle ban in
areas around the imam’s shrine in Khadimiya in northern
Baghdad, but the prime minister’s office and Defense Ministry
said on Saturday it was now Baghdad-wide and would last
indefinitely.

Seven pilgrims walking to Khadimiya were shot dead by
gunmen in a car in the al-Adel district on Friday night. Car
bomb attacks are also a frequent occurrence in Baghdad.

Nearly 1,000 Shi’ite pilgrims were killed in a stampede
during last year’s ceremony, when a crowd heading toward the
shrine was panicked by rumors of a suicide bomber.

It was the greatest loss of Iraqi life in a single incident
since the U.S. invasion of 2003. Most of the victims were women
and children, Iraqi officials said at the time.

Shi’ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s office said in a
statement that a corridor would be kept open by Interior
Ministry forces to allow people to travel to and from Baghdad
airport.

“All vehicles are banned in Baghdad indefinitely,” Defense
Ministry spokesman Ibrahim Shaker said, adding that the vehicle
curfew had started at 9 p.m. (1700 GMT) on Friday.

Baghdad has been racked by sectarian bloodshed between
majority Shi’ites and minority Sunnis since an attack on a
Shi’ite shrine in February. The violence has overshadowed the
Sunni insurgency and raised fears of all-out civil war.

Thousands of U.S. troop reinforcements have been sent to
the city to help Iraqi security forces, who have so far failed
to quell the violence that has killed thousands.

The Defense Ministry said on Friday security checkpoints
had been set up around Khadimiya to enforce a ban on pilgrims
carrying weapons, bags and mobile phones, which can be used to
detonate bombs.

“Do not accept food or drink from unknown people. Do not
believe or start rumors that cause panic,” the ministry said in
an advisory.

At least 965 people were killed last year in the panic
sparked by rumors of an imminent attack by a suicide bomber.
Many got caught in the crush on a bridge over the Tigris or
drowned when they jumped into the river.

Shi’ite religious festivals attract tens of thousands of
faithful and have been a frequent target of attack by
militants.

This weekend Shi’ites will gather at the shrine of revered
Imam Musa Kadhim to mark his death in 799 A.D. Islamic
historians say he was imprisoned and poisoned by the leader of
the Muslim caliphate at the time, who feared him as a rival for
power.