A suspected shoe bomber blew himself up inside one of Baghdad’s most important Shia Mosques during prayers, killing at least 13 people and wounding 28.
Jalal Eddin al-Sagheer, the Imam of the mosque, said: “The guards discovered two pair of shoes, full of explosives that got them to start searching all the worshippers. When one of them tried to search the suicide bomber, he blew himself up.”
The Interior Ministry said that the suicide bomber may also have been carrying a explosive vest because of the scale of destruction.
A police officer said the device contained metal balls and fragments and television footage showed a large scorch mark in the middle of the mosque. Its turquoise and gold trimmed tiles walls and white ceiling were spattered with blood and the bomber had been dismembered and beheaded by the force of the blast.
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The blast comes two days after the government launched its massive security crackdown with 50,000 Iraqi forces, backed by 7,000 US forces, patrolling the streets of Baghdad, designed to put more pressure on al-Qaeda.
At the time the streets were also largely empty of cars due to a four-hour driving ban implemented to prevent violence.
Shortly after the devastation of the mosque bomb a mortar barrage struck a commercial area north of Baghdad, killing at least two people and wounding 16, police said.
The US military blamed that attack on the supporters of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al-Qaeda in Iraq leader who was killed last week in a US airstrike. The terror group issued a statement on Tuesday vowing to avenge al-Zarqawi’s death and threatening horrific attacks.
Yesterday Mouwafak al-Rubaie, the Iraqi National Security Adviser, announced that valuable information had been seized in raids and declared that al-Zarqawi’s death was “the beginning of the end of al-Qaeda in Iraq.”
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A government official confirmed that the agreement with foreign forces to hand over security responsibility in southern Iraq this month is still in place.
Salam Zikam Ali al-Zubaie, the Deputy Prime Minister, said: “There is an agreement to take over the security responsibilities from the British, Australian and Japanese forces in southern Iraq during this month.
“We hope that the Iraqi security forces will live up to their duties there. It is the dream of all Iraqis that our forces will handle security issues all over Iraq.”
Nouri Al-Maliki, the Prime Minister, announced shortly after taking office on May 20 that Iraqi security forces will start assuming full responsibility for some provinces and cities this month, beginning an 18 month process leading to the eventual withdrawal of all coalition forces.
Britain has about 8,000 troops in southern Iraq, and roughly 2,000 others in Gulf region.
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During his visit to Baghdad last month, Tony Blair said that “responsibility for much of Iraq’s territorial security” would be transferred to Iraqi control by December - with Iraqi forces taking control of all 18 provinces within 18 months. Today Mr Blair said the handover was a matter for the Iraqi government to decide.
Newspapers in Japan have claimed that Junichiro Koizumi, the Japanese Prime Minister, will announce the end of his country’s military mission in Iraq next week. The reports have been officially denied.
Japanese troops are constitutionally barred from combat and the 600-strong contingent working on the reconstruction effort in the south of the country is currently protected by British and Australian forces.