In the predominantly Sunni city of Samarra, one of the four holiest Shia Muslim shrines in Iraq was bombed, causing the complete collapse of the building�s minarets. A bombing of the dome on the al-Askari mosque last year sparked an upsurge in sectarian violence. With the minarets and dome gone, all that remains on the 10th century shrine now is a central clock tower.

Prime Minister Maliki immediately blamed the attack on al-Qaeda and Saddam loyalists in a televised speech, yet it’s been suspected that Iraqi police were involved with the bombing. Though labeled as a �radical� by the western media, Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has shown more reservation than the US-back Prime Minister by calling for a three-day period of mourning and for peaceful demonstrations to end the US occupation of Iraq. More info available in the video above.

h/t Truthdig