New Day for Ground Zero in Iraq's Sectarian Strife

Samarra residents cleaning the debris of the Askariyyain shrine in Samarra
(Photo from Healing Iraq)

From The Middle East Times:

SAMARRA, Iraq -- From all points of the compass in this ancient city by the Tigris a rough and uncompleted symbol of progress and hope can be seen rising from the rubble of war to dominate the skyline.

It's the new al-Askari mosque, tomb site for two of the Prophet Mohammed's direct descendants and Ground Zero in Iraq's sectarian bloodletting.

Al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI), whose members are nominally Sunni Muslims, blew up the 9th century mosque revered by Shiites in 2006. Residents of Samarra, a Sunni city of 100,000 in a predominately Sunni province, escaped the sectarian war that followed but soon found themselves under the yoke of al-Qaida gunmen until the terrorists were pushed out earlier this year by U.S. forces and Sons of Iraq (SOI) volunteer guards.

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My Comment: A good summary on the rebuilding process in Iraq.