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Iraq Blast Kills Key Shiite Cleric

By Ivan Watson
Published August 28, 2003 at 9:00 PM PDT

A powerful explosion rips apart a mosque during Friday prayer services in Najaf, Iraq, killing Shiite leader Ayatollah Mohammed Baqer al-Hakim. The attack on one of the holiest sites for Shia Muslims took a high death toll. Hear NPR's Ivan Watson.

Copyright 2003 NPR
NPR News
Ivan Watson
Ivan Watson is currently based in Istanbul, Turkey. Following the 9-11 terrorist attacks, he has served as one of NPR's foreign "firemen," shuttling to and from hotspots around the Middle East and Central Asia.
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