Prominent Sunni Sheikh Wounded in Attack That Killed Five
Sunday: 5 Iraqis Killed, 4 Wounded
A prominent Sunni sheikh was targeted for assassination after he led Eid prayers today in Baghdad. He survived, but others in his convoy did not. Due to the Eid al-Fitr celebrations — which were delayed when the new moon was not sighted as expected — very few attacks have been reported over the holiday weekend. In this one attack, five people were killed and four were wounded.
Sheik Mahdi al-Sumaidaie was wounded during an assassination attempt that left four guards dead and three wounded. One bystander was also killed. The sheikh’s car was stopped by one vehicle shortly after the sheikh had finished leading Eid prayers at a mosque. A second car then crashed into his and blew up. He was then taken in critical condition to hospital for surgery on shrapnel wounds to his head. Some sites have already reported his death.
A prominent Sunni cleric, al-Sumaidaie at one time lead a Salafist group that called for attacks against U.S. troops. He returned last year, from Syria, to work on reconciliation efforts between Sunnis and Shi’ites. It is perhaps these efforts that made him a target.
Read more by Margaret Griffis
- ISIS Blows Up Tombs in Mosul; 147 Killed Across Iraq – July 24th, 2014
- Iran’s Support For Maliki Dwindles As Over 200 Are Killed in Iraq – July 23rd, 2014
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- 257 Killed Across Iraq, Mostly In Security Ops – July 21st, 2014
- 131 Killed In Iraq As Deadline Passes for Christians To Leave Mosul – July 20th, 2014
Umm Abdullah
August 20th, 2012 at 9:54 am
Eid al-Fitr celebrations were 'delayed when the new moon was not sighted as expected'?
What does that mean? The lunar month is either 29 or 30 days. After 29 days of Ramadan, if the moon is sighted, then Ramadan ends and Eid begins. If it is not sighted, then there is a 30th day of Ramadan, after which the Eid begins. Ramadan is either 29 or 30 days, and we never know which it's going to be until the night after the 29th day; it's not as if it was supposed to be one day but got delayed.
(There are also those who refer to astronomical calculations; if anything, they usually complain that the beginning of the month was announced after 29 days when it should have been 30. In any case, it's not a matter of delaying an expected Eid.)