In another incidence yesterday,
At least 56 dead in Iraq suicide blasts
Top Kurdish officials killed; many people wounded
Sunday, February 1, 2004 Posted: 6:22 PM EST (2322 GMT)

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Nearly simultaneous suicide bombings of the offices
of two Kurdish political parties in the northern Iraq town of Erbil Sunday
morning killed at least 56 people, including at least five senior Kurdish
officials, a coalition spokesman said. .............

Also

U.S. soldier killed in rocket attack
One U.S. soldier was killed and 11 were wounded Sunday in a rocket attack on
a 4th Infantry Division base near Balad, 50 miles north of Baghdad, a
military spokesman said.

Go to  :  www.cnn.com

Best regrads,

Nyar'Onyango

*********************

----- Original Message -----
From: "Musa Amadu Pembo" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, February 02, 2004 8:54 AM
Subject: Fwd:Tragedy Strikes Jamrat.


> Tragedy Strikes Jamrat
> Saeed Haider & Siraj Wahab
>
> MINA, 2 February 2004 - Disaster struck Mina yesterday when
> 244 pilgrims were trampled to death on the way to stoning
> the Great Satan on the Jamrat Bridge. The tragedy occurred
> as two million pilgrims flocked to the bridge early in the
> morning to throw stones at the pillar representing the
> devil.
>
> "There were 244 pilgrims who died in the incident in
> Jamrat," Iyad Madani, minister of Haj, told reporters
> without giving a breakdown of nationalities. A similar
> number were injured. Up to eight of them were in critical
> condition.
>
> "Some pilgrims were not organized and there was a crush by
> people carrying personal belongings which created obstacles
> to the movement of pilgrims.
>
> "I assure you that precautions are always taken, but we
> don't always know God's intentions. What happened will be
> evaluated," the minister added.
>
> He said most of the dead were pilgrims who overstayed after
> performing Umrah and did not have Haj permits.
>
> The dead comprised 134 men and 110 women.
>
> Eyewitnesses said rescue efforts were hampered by the huge
> number of people in the area. The bridge was transformed
> into a disaster zone in minutes. Once it became clear what
> had happened, helicopters flew in and hovered overhead.
> Ambulances, sirens blaring, streamed in from all
> directions. The authorities tried to form a protective ring
> around the Jamrat Bridge to stop other pilgrims from
> surging ahead to their deaths.
>
> Officials in the helicopters were giving directions to
> forces on the ground in an attempt to control the
> situation, but it was initially chaotic until some
> semblance of order could be brought to bear. Thousands of
> pilgrims were stranded on the bridge not knowing where to
> go or what to do.
>
> Reports of exactly what caused the disaster vary but it
> appears to have been a combination of events that
> snowballed into calamity. According to one eyewitness,
> after stoning the Jamrat one particular group of pilgrims
> tried to turn back and retrace their path in order to
> return to their camp. This group clashed with the oncoming
> tide of pilgrims and were overwhelmed and trampled upon.
> Another eyewitness said that a group of pilgrims hurrying
> to be the first to stone the devil, elbowed their way
> forward, resulting in weaker pilgrims falling to the ground
> and being crushed. As the first pilgrims went down, their
> screams caused panic among those nearby. Word quickly
> spread that there was no way forward and people then tried
> to turn back, with horrific consequences. Women were the
> worst affected. Seeing their loved ones fall to the ground
> they began screaming and shouting hysterically.
>
> According to one Pakistani couple, in contravention of all
> instructions pilgrims brought bags and suitcases with them
> onto the bridge. In the crush these pilgrims were unable to
> hold onto their baggage and it was left by the wayside.
>
> The bags and bundles became death traps as other pilgrims
> fell over the objects and were engulfed by the oncoming
> masses.
>
> All the while the terrible events were in progress
> loudspeakers were blasting messages begging the pilgrims to
> control themselves. Electronic signboards were flashing
> messages reading, "Wait! The Jamrat is crowded." Pilgrims
> said they were unaware of either the audio or visual
> instructions due to the chaos and extremely high noise
> levels in the area.
>
> The whole incident lasted for about 40 minutes, until the
> authorities could surround the area and start clearing the
> bodies. Then the stoning ritual was allowed to resume.
>
> After sunset the extent of the tragedy sunk in. It was at
> this time that some pilgrims realized that husbands,
> relatives and friends had not turned up in the camp. The
> mood in Mina turned very somber. Pilgrims were seen rushing
> to their consular offices inquiring about missing group
> members. There were crowds around Mina General Hospital
> where the bodies of unidentified pilgrims were still being
> held in the mortuary. Those who had missing relatives were
> asked to come forward to try to identify the bodies. The
> tragedy was compounded by the fact that even in the evening
> the breakdown of victims by nationality was unavailable.
> Even consular officers of various nations were at a loss to
> say anything about the missing pilgrims from their
> countries.
>
> According to the Sri Lankan ambassador, he had received
> inquiries about many missing pilgrims. He felt that this
> was a reaction to the panic and he was hopeful that many of
> those reported missing would turn up at their camps later
> in the night.
>
> "This is a terrible embarrassment for us," said pilgrim
> Sultan Al-Aseeri. "It should not have happened. It has
> become an annual problem."
>
> - Additional reporting by Hassan Adawi
>
> Shun Extremism, Muslims Urged
> P.K. Abdul Ghafour & Javid Hassan, Arab News Staff
>
> Eid prayers were held in hundreds of open grounds and
> mosques across the Kingdom on Sunday morning.
>
> JEDDAH, 2 February 2004 - Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
> King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and
> commander of the National Guard, yesterday called on
> Muslims all over the world to strengthen their unity and
> shun extremism and terror.
>
> "The meanings of the Eid in Islam are many. ... They
> include uniting the Muslim nation on goodness, away from
> extremism and terror," said the Saudi rulers in a message
> marking the start of Eid Al-Adha celebrations.
>
> The message, which was read on state television by Minister
> of Culture and Information Dr. Fouad Al-Farsy, said, "The
> graces of Islam are many and they include the sight of
> pilgrims moving around in great numbers and in peace and
> security."
>
> According to official figures released yesterday, 1,892,710
> pilgrims - including 1.4 million who came from abroad -
> performed Haj this year. A statement issued by the
> Statistics Department of the Ministry of Economy and
> Planning said the majority of the domestic pilgrims were
> expatriate workers.
>
> The Haj climaxed on Saturday as the pilgrims stood on the
> plain of Arafat beseeching God's forgiveness and blessings.
> They slaughtered animals yesterday to commemorate the
> readiness showed by the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him)
> to sacrifice his son Ismail to God.
>
> Muslims all over the Kingdom celebrated Eid Al-Adha,
> holding Eid prayers in the morning and organizing
> recreational and cultural programs.
>
> At the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Sheikh Abdul Rahman
> Al-Sudais led the prayers. Later, addressing the faithful,
> the imam lashed out at Israel and urged Muslims to unite
> against those who oppress them.
>
> "In Palestine, the Muslim suffers under oppression and
> Al-Aqsa Mosque buckles under occupation ... how can we live
> peacefully while our holy lands ... are being tarnished by
> a band of infidel Zionists?" said Sudais.
>
> "They (Israelis) are multiplying their aggression everyday
> by building new settlements and separating walls."
>
> Sudais warned Muslims in his sermon, which was broadcast
> live on Saudi television, that the enemies of Islam are
> everywhere.
>
> The imam called upon Muslim women to continue to wear the
> hijab and reject the wanton calls for their liberation.
> "Wearing of the hijab will not prevent them from making
> scientific or social progress." He objected to any reforms
> that would contradict with the teachings of Islam and urged
> Muslim leaders to work out strategies to face political,
> economic, cultural and intellectual challenges.
>
> "We should incept an awareness program in many languages to
> deal with ignorance about Islam's moderate teachings and
> get rid of unilateral and individual views and edicts," the
> imam said, backing a similar call made by the Muslim World
> League.
>
> In Madinah, Sheikh Hassan Al-Sheikh, the imam of the
> Prophet's Mosque, led the main Eid congregation. He
> recalled the salient points in the Arafat sermon of the
> Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), especially the
> prohibition of the killing of innocent people.
>
> "If Muslims had followed the teachings of their religion
> and practiced them in their life, there would have been no
> need for police, courts and prisons," the imam told the
> faithful.
>
> Sheikh Hassan also cautioned about the dubious intent
> behind the calls to "liberate" Muslim women. "The condition
> of women in Islam is far better than in other cultures," he
> said, adding that Islam holds them in high honor and
> protects their rights.
>
> Riyadh Governor Prince Salman joined citizens and
> expatriates in offering Eid Al-Adha prayers on the Eid
> prayer site near Dira Mosque yesterday morning. The prayers
> were also attended by members of the royal family,
> religious scholars, ministers and a large gathering of
> citizens and expatriates. Thousands of Muslims congregated
> at 20 other Eid prayer sites and 352 mosques. Prince Salman
> later exchanged Eid greetings with members of the royal
> family and citizens in the Riyadh governorate.
>
> In Abha, Asir Governor Prince Khaled Al-Faisal joined Eid
> prayers held at King Faisal Mosque in Khalediya with a
> large number of worshipers.
>
> The main Eid prayer in the Eastern Province was held in
> Dammam with the participation of a large number of faithful
> including Governor Prince Muhammad ibn Fahd, other princes
> and senior officials. In his sermon, Sheikh Muhammad
> Al-Suleiman stressed the need to root out terrorists who
> attempt undermine the Kingdom.
>
> In Alkhobar, Bayouni, Ahsa, Jubail and Khafji, thousands of
> Muslims offered Eid prayers in open grounds and a number of
> mosques.
>
> Jeddah Governor Prince Mishaal ibn Majed joined prayers at
> the Old Airport ground in the city. In his address, Sheikh
> Raafat Al-Jedaiby called upon Muslims to strengthen their
> relations by promoting the qualities of tolerance and
> forgiveness.
>
> Telephone lines were jammed throughout the day as the
> citizens and expatriates were trying to call their
> relatives and friends. Saudi Telecom Company is offering a
> discounted rate of 50 halalas on SMS compared to the normal
> charge of 70 halalas.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________________________________________________
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