21 cluster bombs defused in Karbala

Karbala-Cluster KARBALA / IraqiNews.com: A total of 21 anti-shield cluster bombs were defused in western Karbala, the commander of the civil defense said on Tuesday. “Civil defense forces defused 21 anti-shield cluster bombs in a farm in al-Harr region in the west of Karbala,” Colonel Hussein Mansour told IraqiNews.com. “The forces found the bombs after receiving intelligence information from local residents,” he added. He did not add further details. Karbala, with an estimated population of 572,300 people in 2003, is the capital of the province and is considered to be one of Shiite Muslims’ holiest cities. The city, 110 km south of Baghdad, is one of Iraq’s wealthiest, profiting both from religious visitors and agricultural produce, especially dates. It is made up of two districts, “Old Karbala,” the religious center, and “New Karbala,” the residential district containing Islamic schools and government buildings. At the center of the old city is Masjid al-Hussein, the tomb of Hussein Ibn Ali, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad by his daughter Fatima al-Zahraa and Ali Ibn Abi Taleb. Imam Hussien’s tomb is a place of pilgrimage for many Shiite Muslims, especially on the anniversary of the battle, the Day of Ashuraa. Many elderly pilgrims travel there to await death, as they believe the tomb to be one of the gates to paradise. On April 14, 2007, a car bomb exploded about 600 ft (200 m) from the shrine, killing 47 and wounding over 150. SH (S)/SR 1