Police clash with Sunni worshippers
2013-03-15 20:01
Baghdad - Protesters clashed on Friday with Iraqi police
trying to prevent them from reaching the most venerated Sunni mosque in
Baghdad, as members of their sect once again massed for anti-government rallies
in several Iraqi cities.
Several people were reported injured.
Iraqi security forces had prevented worshippers from
holding on Friday prayers at the Abu Hanifa mosque last week as well, a
development that reflects heightened sectarian tensions nearly a decade after
the US invasion of Iraq.
Police officials said anti-riot police used batons and
water hoses in order to prevent worshippers from crossing a bridge leading to
the mosque, which is located in the primarily Sunni neighbourhood of Azamiyah.
The officials said several worshippers sustained bruises
and minor injuries in the skirmishes at the bridge, about 2km from Abu Hanifa.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not
authorised to talk to the media.
Abdul-Rahman al-Azzawi was among of a group of people who
tried to cross the 14th of Ramadan Bridge when they were met by security
forces.
"We were showered with water and the policemen
started to beat us," he said.
"I do not know the reason behind this savage attack.
We were only going to a mosque, not to al-Maliki's office in the Green
Zone," referring to the heavily secured quarter in the centre of Baghdad
where many officials have their offices.
The clashes did not reach the Abu Hanifa mosque itself.
Calm around mosque
The area around the holy site was calm and hundreds of
people, including Sunni parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, attended the
Friday prayers there.
During the Friday sermon in Abu Hanifa, Sunni cleric
Ahmed Haasan al-Taha criticised the restriction of movement imposed on
worshippers.
"Several days ago, the authorities promised us that
they would provide the people free access to Abu Hanifa, but once again the
government officials failed to live to their promises," al-Taha said.
In the western province of Anbar, the heart of the
protest movement that began in December, masked men arrived at the site of
demonstrations in Fallujah raising the flag used by predominantly Sunni rebels
in neighbouring Syria.
They also held aloft a homemade black banner flag very
similar to that used by al-Qaeda's branch in Iraq, suggesting that supporters
of the terror group are trying to make their presence felt in the largely
peaceful Sunni protests.
The protests in Sunni areas were sparked by the arrest of
bodyguards assigned to Finance Minister Rafia al-Issawi in late December.
Sunni protesters complain they suffer from discrimination
by the Shi’ite-led government.
- AP
