Mosque Preacher injured in Tikrit attack

SALAHAL-DIN / IraqiNews.com: A group of armed men have attacked a mosque preacher close to his house in Balad township, 90 km to the south of Tikrit, the center of Salahal-Din Province on Monday, seriously wounding him, according to Salahal-Din’s Operations Command.   “A group of unknown armed men have attacked the house of Al-Rahman Mosque’s Preacher, Sheikh Ismail al-Arabi in Balad township, 90 km to the south of Tikrit, seriously injuring him,” a Command source told IraqiNews.com news agency.   A medical source in Balad’s hospital, where Sheikh Araby was driven to after the attack, said he had suffered from serious injuries in different parts of his body and his condition was very serious.   The Command’s source said that Sheikh Ismail al-Araby, the Preacher and Imam of al-Rahman Mosque in Balad, had been a strong opponent of al-Qaeda organization and had been attacking them in his Friday speeches.   Tikrit, the center of Salahal-Din Province is 175 km to the north of Baghdad .   SKH (IT)     788