Iraqi PM blames Shiite shrine guards for attack

The interior ministry8217;s director of operations Brigadier General Abdul Karim Halaf said on Thursday that a group of security guards at the mosque had been arrested. 8220;We have detained a few security guards who were stationed inside the shrine complex,8221; he said. 8220;I can8217;t say the exact number of those detained but they are under investigation.8221;

Yesterday8217;s bombing followed an attack by the al-Qaeda in February 2006 that destroyed the Al-Askari mosque8217;s golden dome and touched off a wave of sectarian killings that has left tens of thousands dead.

8220;In two days, we were to sign a contract to reconstruct the shrine. But this cowardly action8230;will not deter us from rebuilding,8221; al-Maliki said.

Iraqi security forces, including the specialised Facility Protection Service FPS guards, have been deployed around the shrine since it was first attacked.

Sunni mosques attacked

BAGHDAD: A handful of Sunni mosques were attacked on Thursday, but curfews and increased troop levels kept Iraq in relative calm a day after suspected al-Qaeda militants bombed a Shiite shrine in Samarra. At least four people were reported killed in apparent retaliatory attacks in Basra. A US soldier said at least 12 rockets or mortars rained down on Baghdad8217;s heavily-guarded Green Zone. AP