Iraq bombing kills 12 after security pact approved

23 injured in explosion near mosque

Firemen hosed down the site where a suicide bomber blew himself up near the entrance to a Shi'ite mosque in Musayyib, south of Baghdad, killing at least 12 people, Iraqi officials said. The mosque is run by loyalists of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. (ahmed alhussainey/Associated Press)

BAGHDAD - A suicide bomber detonated explosives outside a Shi'ite mosque south of Baghdad yesterday, police said, killing at least 12 people and injuring 23 a day after Iraqi lawmakers approved a security pact to extend the US military presence in Iraq.

The attack in Musayyib, 40 miles south of the capital, occurred as people were gathered outside the mosque before the start of prayers, witnesses and police said. The mosque is run by loyalists of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

"Suddenly, a huge explosion shook the entire building," said Dawood Ahmad, 23, a worshiper. "Window glass flew in all directions, hitting me in the back. Heavy black smoke filled the main hall."

After the prayers, the several hundred worshipers had planned to march in protest against the security agreement, which still requires approval from Iraq's Presidency Council. The Sadrists have long opposed the US military presence in Iraq.

Sadr issued a statement through his key aides yesterday calling for three days of mourning and peaceful demonstrations against the pact.

No group asserted responsibility for the bombing, but suicide attacks are typically the trademark of Sunni extremists.

Last month, the US military handed over control of security in Babil Province, which includes Musayyib, to Iraqi forces. The city is predominantly Shi'ite, but pockets of Sunnis live in villages and on farms in the surrounding area. Both Shi'ite and Sunni extremists have operated in the area.

In Kufa, also in southern Iraq, about 500 Sadrists carrying black flags and photos of Sadr demonstrated against the pact after prayers yesterday. "No, no, agreement!" and "Death, death to those who signed the agreement!" they chanted.

"We shall continue to protest the agreement because it does not serve Iraq or its people," said Kadhim Alwan, 25, a protester. "We reject this agreement because we have our own beliefs, and we do not want to be tied down to the West and its culture."

Waad Khazaly, 30, a taxi driver, said Sadr's US-backed rivals had signed the agreement only to "keep their dominance" ahead of provincial elections scheduled for next year.

Before the protest, an influential Sadrist aide said the attack in Musayyib was a result of the security agreement.

"The Iraqi government cannot survive without the US presence, and as long as the Americans remain here, Iraq will be still a battlefield," Abdul-Hadi al-Muhammadawi told worshipers at the Kufa mosque.

A car bomb exploded in a square in central Baghdad, killing two people and wounding 15, police said.

Yesterday's bombing in Musayyib underlined fears on both sides of the argument - proponents of the deal warn the Iraqis aren't ready to take over their own security while opponents, led by the Sadrists, say the American presence is the main reason for the instability plaguing the country.

Police and hospital officials said 12 people, including a woman who was begging for money nearby, were killed and 18 wounded.

The US military said eight civilians were killed and 15 wounded.

The mosque was formerly Sunni but had been taken over by the Sadrists after the 2003 fall of Saddam Hussein's Sunni-dominated regime, the official said.

Musayyib, in an area that contains a volatile mix of Sunni and Shi'ite extremists, has faced several attacks in the past, including a July 16, 2005, suicide bombing that killed some 90 people near the same mosque.

But along with the rest of the country, it has seen a steep drop of violence over the past year. The US military handed responsibility for security in the surrounding Babil Province to Iraqi forces last month.

The security pact, which still must be approved by the three-member presidential council, was backed by the ruling coalition's Shi'ite and Kurdish blocs and the largest Sunni Arab bloc, which wanted concessions for supporting the deal.

But Sadr, who commands a large following among impoverished Iraqi Shi'ites and a 30-seat bloc in the 275-seat Parliament, rejected the pact and said US troops should withdraw immediately.

Material from the Associated Press was included in this report.