The 2006 Sadr City bombings were a series of car bombs and mortar attacks in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

that occurred on 23 November at 15:10

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

time (12:10 Greenwich Mean Time) and ended at 15:55 (12:55 UTC). Six

car bomb A car bomb, bus bomb, van bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles. Car bombs can be roug ...

s and two mortar rounds were used in the attack on the

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

slum in Sadr City.Attack on Baghdad Shiite slum kills 160
�� ''Yahoo! News''

Casualties

The attacks killed at least 215 people and injured 100 others, making it one of the deadliest sectarian attacks since the beginning of the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

in 2003.Bombs kill 138 in Baghdad's Sadr City
�� ''CNN'' Following the attacks, the Iraqi government placed Baghdad under 24-hour

curfew A curfew is an order that imposes certain regulations during specified hours. Typically, curfews order all people affected by them to remain indoors during the evening and nighttime hours. Such an order is most often issued by public authorit ...

beginning at 20:00 Baghdad time (17:00 UTC), shut down Baghdad International Airport to commercial traffic, and closed the docks and airport in

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

, Iraq. The curfew was lifted on 27 November.Curfew lifted but tension high in Baghdad
– ''Reuters'', 27 November 2006

Timing of the attacks

The attacks occurred while residents of Sadr City were commemorating the life of Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr. Al-Sadr was killed by the former Iraqi regime of

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...

in February 1999. On 16 November 2006, an arrest warrant for Harith al-Dari, a prominent Sunni cleric, was issued in

. Moqtada al-Sadr, the son of Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr and a controversial figure in his own right, called out on Friday for al-Dari to issue

fatwa A fatwa (; ; ; ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (sharia) given by a qualified Islamic jurist ('' faqih'') in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist issuing fatwas is called a ''mufti'', ...

s prohibiting the killing of Shiites, membership in "

al Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

or any other organization that has made (Shiites) their enemies," and expressing support for the restoration of the

Imam Ali Shrine The Sanctuary of Imām 'Alī (), also known as the Mosque of 'Alī (), located in Najaf, Iraq, is a mausoleum which Shia and Sunni Muslims believe contains the tomb of 'Alī ibn Abī Tālib, a cousin, son-in-law and companion of the Islamic Pro ...

. When al-Dari has done this, Sadr says he will oppose the arrest warrant against him.Sunni leader must stop the bloodshed, says Sadr
– ''Australian Broadcasting Corporation'' 24 November 2006

Perpetrators

No organization has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Sadrist politician Ali al-Shemari alleged that the attack was orchestrated by insurgents affiliated with the Iraqi Ba'ath party.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sadr Terrorist incidents in Sadr City Sadr City in the Iraq War Terrorist incidents in Baghdad in the 2000s Bombings in the Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011) 2006 murders in Iraq 2006 in Baghdad November 2006 crimes in Asia Car and truck bombings in Baghdad Mass murder in 2006 21st-century mass murder in Baghdad November 2006 in Iraq Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2006 Car and truck bombings in 2006