Massacre at Kufa Mosque

Massacre at Kufa

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Hani ibn Arwa tomb

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City of Kufa is 110,00

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History of Kufa

City of 110,000 inhabitants in central Iraq, lying on the western bank of the Euphrates river, and 11 km northeast of Najaf.

Kufa is one of three religiously important cities that lies in a cluster south of Baghdad, together with Najaf and Karbala, the most important town in Shi'i Islam.

Kufa holds a typical Shi'i shrine built over the tombs of Muslim ibn Aqil and Hani ibn Arwa. Next to the shrine lies the extensive headquarters of Ali, protected by a 4 metres thick wall.

The march from Kufa to Najaf

The holy cleric Ali al-Sistani returns from London where he leads a march the to Najaf, to free the siege at the Mosque of Ali. His followers gather in Kufa at the Mosque where mercenaries hit them with mortars. As the march began they were gunned down both in Kufa and Najaf.

Crusader weather a gaunlet of fire to arrive at Ali Mosque in Najaf

The massacre

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A total of 74 people were killed and 376 wounded in a mortar attack on Kufa's mosque, and shooting on Shiite demonstrators blamed on American mercenaries.

"The Najaf hospital received 39 bodies and 255 wounded and the one in Kufa 25 bodies and 60 wounded," a ministry official said. Another 8 people killed in the demonstration and 42 wounded people were transported to Diwaniya, about 50 kilometres (about 30 miles) east of Najaf.

At least 15 Sistani supporters were shot dead in Najaf and 65 wounded when gunmen opened fire at police who were trying to control a crowd, prompting police to shoot back, witnesses said.

	Dead	Wounded
Kufa Mosque mortar attack	39	255
Mercenaries fire on protestors	20	60
Police fire on Najaf crowd	15	42

Kufa Mosque

Streets of Kufa

Scene at Najaf

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Irma Grese