Mourners flock to streets for Hakim’s burial
Hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered yesterday in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq, to pay their final respects to Ayatollah Muhammad Bakr al-Hakim, the leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution, the political movement collaborating with allied forces to rebuild war-torn, post-Saddam Iraq.
A 1550 pound car bomb killed Mr Hakim and a reported 120 people during prayers at the gold-domed shrine of the Imam Ali in Najaf last Friday.
Mr Hakim was buried in a large empty field, the site of a future shrine to honour the dead leader.
The ayatollah, also known as a sayyid, or descendent of the Prophet Muhammad, was exiled in Iran 23 years ago.
He recently returned from his banishment.
The three-day funeral started in Baghdad on Sunday.
Delivering the eulogy at his brother’s funeral, Abdel-Aziz al-Hakim demanded US forces leave the country.
He criticised allied forces for the poor security which led to his brother’s death.
He told mourners: “Iraq must not remain occupied and the occupation must leave so that we can build Iraq as God wants us to do.”
Two Iraqis and four Saudis have been arrested in connection with last Friday’s blast.
US President Bush denounced the bombing as a “vicious act of terrorism.”
“This is a heinous crime against the Iraqi people and the international community,” Secretary of State Colin Powell said in a statement.
“We will not be deterred by such unacceptable and immoral acts. The international community must renew its commitment to working with the majority of the Iraqi people who seek to build a free and stable country.
“We and the coalition will make every effort to assist the Iraqi people in the investigation of this brutal attack and do our utmost to bring those responsible to justice,” he said.
Separately, a new tape message aired on satellite television channels on Monday, purportedly from fallen Iraq leader Saddam Hussein, denied any role in the car bombing.
The voice said: “Many of you may have heard the snakes hissing, the servants of the invaders, occupiers, infidels, and how they have managed to accuse the followers of Saddam Hussein of responsibility for the attack on Hakim without any evidence.”
