23 November 2006 Sadr City bombings

The 2006 Sadr City bombings were a series of car bombs and mortar attacks in Iraq that occurred on 23 November at 15:10 Baghdad time (12:10 Greenwich Mean Time) and ended at 15:55 (12:55 UTC). Six car bombs and two mortar rounds were used in the attack on the Shia slum in Sadr City.[2]

Sadr City bombing
LocationSadr City neighborhood of Baghdad, Iraq
Date23 November 2006 (2006-11-23)
15:10 – 15:55 (UTC+3)
TargetShia Sadr City Slum
Attack type
Car bombs and mortar rounds.
DeathsAt least 215
Injured140
Perpetratorsblamed on AQI by the U.S.[1]

Casualties

The attacks killed at least 215 people and injured 100 others, making it the one of they deadliest sectarian attack since the beginning of the Iraq War in 2003.[3][4][5] Following the attacks, the Iraqi government placed Baghdad under 24-hour curfew beginning at 20:00 Baghdad time (17:00 UTC), shut down Baghdad International Airport to commercial traffic, and closed the docks and airport in Basra, Iraq. The curfew was lifted on 27 November.[6][7]

Timing of the attacks

The attacks occurred while residents of Sadr City were commemorating the life of Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr.[8] Al-Sadr was killed by the former Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein in February 1999.

On 16 November 2006, an arrest warrant for Harith al-Dari, a prominent Sunni cleric, was issued in Baghdad.[9] Moqtada al-Sadr, the son of Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr and a controversial figure in his own right, called out on Friday for al-Dari to issue fatwas prohibiting the killing of Shiites, membership in "al Qaeda or any other organization that has made (Shiites) their enemies," and expressing support for the restoration of the Imam Ali Shrine. When al-Dari has done this, Sadr says he will oppose the arrest warrant against him.[10]

References
  1. DeYoung, Karen; Pincus, Walter (18 March 2007). "Al-Qaeda in Iraq May Not Be Threat Here". The Washington Times. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  2. Attack on Baghdad Shiite slum kills 160 – Yahoo! News (Link dead as of 15 January 2007)
  3. Bombs kill 138 in Baghdad's Sadr City – CNN
  4. Baghdad curfew after bombing wave – BBC News
  5. Iraqi militias take revenge for slaughter of 215 – MSNBC
  6. Bombs in Shiite slum kill at least 161 – MSNBC
  7. Curfew lifted but tension high in Baghdad Archived 17 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine – Reuters, 27 November 2006
  8. Assault on Iraqi Civilians Is Deadliest Since 2003 – Washington Post 24 November 2006.
  9. Iraqi Arrest Warrant Revives a Sunni Cleric's Fortunes – Time Magazine 18 November 2006.
  10. Sunni leader must stop the bloodshed, says Sadr Archived 15 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine – Australian Broadcasting Corporation 24 November 2006

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