Shiite 'Golden Mosque' Heavily Damaged

Imagine that St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City had been bombed. Or the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

Dr. Laniac's Daily News Blog: Shiite 'Golden Mosque' heavily damaged

Ominous news from Iraq -- the "golden mosque" in Samarra has been destroyed. By men dressed as Iraqi commandos. Ten men have been captured and arrested.

As if sectarian tensions weren't already high.

"The crime that has taken place in Samarra is against Iraq, is against one of the holiest places in the country and the whole population is extremely hurt by what they have heard."

The Sunni Iraqi Islamic Party called the attack "an extreme crime" and called for an investigation into who was responsible. Later, its office in Baghdad and two local Sunni mosques were attacked, police said.

Gunmen stormed the Iraqi Islamic Party's office, evacuated its employees and torched the place. The main entrance to Al Hamza mosque, which escaped damage, came under machine-gun fire and was burned. A rocket-propelled grenade caused damage to the entrance of the Mustafa mosque."

Guardian (uk): In pictures: Attack on the al-Askari shrine in Samarra