Karbala Festival Riot
Karbala, Iraq, August 28, 2007: Riots broke out between rival Shiite militias during a religious festival in the holy city of Karbala, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims and leaving at least 51 people dead and over 200 wounded.
Fast Facts
- Karbala police spokesman Raheem Imshawer said the violence began after police attempted to confiscate weapons at the entrance to the area surrounding the shrines to Muhammad al-Mahdi, one of the 12 historical imams revered by many Shiites.
- The fighting broke out between Mahdi Army members loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and the Badr Organization, the armed wing of the rival Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council.
- Pilgrims had walked to Karbala, about 70 miles south of Iraq, from across the country to celebrate the birth of Mahdi in what was scheduled to be a two-day festival.
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