Sunni-Shi’ite Jihad Update from AP:
BAGHDAD, Iraq – A suicide bomber detonated a belt of explosives near a highly revered Shiite shrine in southern Iraq Thursday, killing at least 35 people and injuring 122, an official said.
The bomber blew himself up while being patted down by policemen near the Imam Ali mosque in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, said Dr. Munthir al-Ithari, the head of the city’s health directorate.
Shiite religious leaders in Najaf accused Sunni loyalists of former dictator Saddam Hussein of carrying out the attack.
“We hold Takfiris (Sunni extremists) and Saddamists directly responsible for this horrible crime … at the same time we hold those who embrace terrorism in Iraq and the countries supporting it as responsible,” the statement said.
Takfiris, literally translated, are “excommunicators,” those who declare other Muslims to be unbelievers.
The Iraqi army said the death toll was 35, with 122 injured.