Thursday blasts the deadliest in Najaf since 2007

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The three synchronized explosions that rocked the heart of the holy Shiite city of Najaf on Thursday were the deadliest in the province since 2007. On Thursday evening, three bombs detonated at a synchronized time in central Najaf, leaving one civilian killed and 72 others wounded. Between 2003 and 2007, the city witnessed a number of security incidents. On August 29, 2003, Shiite cleric Sayyid Mohammed Baqir al-Hakeem was killed in a car bombing after Friday prayers, near the Shrine of Imam Ali. Eighty-three people were killed and 125 others were wounded in that deadly bombing attack. In late April 2004, clashes erupted in Najaf between the Mahdi Army and U.S. forces. Street-to-street battles in the city left dozens of casualties and ended on August 26, 2004, after mediation from top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani. On Dec. 20, 2004, a car bomb went off around 100 meters away from the Imam Ali Shrine, leaving 48 people dead and 90 others wounded. On Dec. 20, 2006, Iraqi forces received the Najaf security responsibilities from U.S. troops. Early 2007, Iraqi forces launched a military campaign 13 km northeast of Najaf city, targeting the so-called armed group Jund al-Samaa (Soldiers of Heaven). Around 250 gunmen were killed in the operations and hundreds others were arrested. MH (S)/AmR 2