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Sacred shrine destroyed

Updated on 22 February 2006

By Katie Razzall

The golden dome of one of shia Islam's holiest shrine is desecrated and destroyed leaving the threat of civil war hanging over Iraq.


Damaged al-Hadi Shi'ite shrine is seen in the town of Samarra

Damaged al-Hadi Shi'ite shrine is seen in the town of Samarra. (Reuters)

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Reprisals and protests have spread from Basra to Baghdad after two bomb blasts destroyed one of Shia Islam's holiest sites early this morning.

Iraq's prime minister warned against civil war - declaring three days of mourning - and the county's top Shia Cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, made a rare appeal for calm.

Here, Tony Blair condemned the attack and said Britain was ready to contribute towards the reconstruction of the shrine.

In Shia Islam it's believed the Golden Mosque in Samarra, sixty miles north of Baghdad, contains the tombs of two revered Imams - and attracts pilgrims from across the world.

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