Baghdad, Iraq – A car bomb tore through a street crowded with pedestrians and vendors in Musayyib, a predominantly Shiite town, on Saturday, authorities said, killing at least six people, wounding 21 and stoking sectarian tensions in Iraq.
The attack followed two others last week against major symbols of Shiite Islam that killed more than 80 and prompted political leaders to appeal for calm and unity.
Shortly before the attack Saturday, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the leader of the country’s dominant Shiite political bloc, urged Shiites to resist attempts by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, to ignite a civil war. He called for Iraqis of all ethnicities and sects to rally together against the threat.
“This nation will not fall into the trap of sectarian war that is being pursued by Zarqawi’s groups,” he told hundreds of followers who gathered outside his political headquarters in Baghdad, Reuters reported.
Hundreds marched through Shiite neighborhoods Saturday in funeral corteges for the victims of a triple suicide bombing at the Baratha mosque Friday that killed at least 71.
The mourners wailed and beat their chests, a traditional act among grieving Shiites, and carried wooden coffins above their heads. The dead were bound for the vast Shiite cemetery in the holy city of Najaf.
Top leaders in the dominant Shiite alliance are scheduled to meet today to discuss the bloc’s selection of Ibrahim al-Jaafari as prime minister in the next government, according to Redha Jowad Taki, a leader in the alliance. Al-Jaafari’s nomination has generated widespread opposition and has become the single biggest hindrance to political talks.