Baghdad re-opens 'unity bridge'

UNCLASSIFIED

The authorities in Baghdad have held a ceremony to re-open a major
bridge linking Shia and Sunni neighbourhoods on opposite banks of the
River Tigris.

Hundreds crossed the Imams Bridge after Muslim leaders and security
officials walked from each bank and embraced.

The bridge was closed in 2005 following a stampede of Shia pilgrims in
which about 1,000 people died.

The carnage was caused by widespread panic after rumours spread that a
suicide bomber was about to attack.

For the re-opening ceremony, Iraqi flags flew from the steel pillars of
the bridge and banners were festooned along the railings saying "Yes to
reconciliation and national unity" and "No to sectarianism and
division".
"This bridge is the symbol of the true spirit and solidarity of the
Iraqi people," said Sheikh Saleh al-Haidari, a religious leader from the
Shia district of Kadhimiya, on the west bank of the Tigris.

"It is a day of joy for the Iraqi people because we have shown to the
world that we are one united people," he added.

It is not clear if the bridge, which links Kadhimiya to the Sunni
stronghold of Adhamiya, will be opened to all traffic in the future, but
officials said the opening for pedestrians was a sign of improving
security.

The bridge - called al-Aima in Arabic - links eastern Baghdad's large
Shia community in places like Sadr City to the important Imam Musa
Kadhim shrine that gives Kadhimiya its name. Before the closure the
bridge would often be packed with pilgrims.
Security was tight for Tuesday's formal reopening ceremony, provided by
US and Iraqi troops. High screens have shielded people on the bridge
from view since the early days of post-war sectarian violence.

The 2005 tragedy, triggered by a mortar strike and rumours that a
suicide bomber was among the crowd, was the deadliest incident to hit
Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003.

Security improvements in recent months have also led to the removal of
some high concrete walls put up to separate Shia and Sunni districts of
the capital.

However, Baghdad has been hit by a series of smaller-scale bomb attacks
in recent weeks, often targeting traffic in the morning rush hour.

Tuesday was no exception, with at least three people killed. On Monday,
nearly 30 people died in a multiple bombing in a Shia district of the
capital.

Story from BBC News 11/11/2008