FACTBOX-Key facts on Najaf
Source: Reuters
Dec 20 (Reuters - U.S.-led forces handed over security control of Najaf province, whose capital is seat of Iraq's most powerful Shi'ite clerics, to Iraq on Wednesday, calling it a major step forward in strengthening the government. Here are some key facts about the city of Najaf. * It is 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, home to around 600,00 people and the traditional centre of Shi'ite learning. * The city is revered among Shi'ite Muslims around the world for the golden-domed shrine of Imam Ali bin Abi Talib which lies in the heart of the ancient town. Imam Ali was the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammad and his tomb is marked by the Imam Ali mosque. * Near to the Tomb of Ali is Wadi al-Salam (Valley of Peace), a vast cemetery. It contains the tombs of several other prophets. * On August 29, 2003, a car bomb exploded outside the Imam Ali mosque during prayers, killing at least 83, including top Shi'ite Muslim leader Ayatollah Mohammed Baqer al-Hakim. * Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most influential Shi'ite cleric, has been the leading voice of religious moderation from his office in Najaf. His public objections have repeatedly prompted the United States to change its plans for Iraq. Sistani played a leading role in striking a ceasefire that halted fighting in 2004 between Moqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army and U.S. troops. * Najaf has been spared most of the violence rocking Baghdad and the centre of Iraq, where Sunni insurgents are fighting the government and its U.S. backers. But it has not been immune and clashes broke in late August 2005 between the Mehdi Army who attacked the offices of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution (SCIRI) and its "Badr" militia. Eight people were killed in the fighting which sparked more violence in Baghdad and Shi'ite towns across southern Iraq.
| AlertNet news is provided by |  |
