Incident Summary:
04/07/2006: Three suicide bombers, the first wearing women's cloaks, struck first at the gate of a Shi'a mosque belonging to the Superior Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the Buratha Mosque, where female worshippers are searched before being allowed to enter the mosque's grounds. In the confusion after the initial blast, 2 other bombers ran into the mosque and exploded a suicide vest, one in near the prayer leaders office and the other in the main prayer hall. Ninety people were killed and over 160 wounded in the attack.
Overview
GTD ID:
200604070001
When:
2006-04-07
Country:
Iraq
Region:
Middle East & North Africa
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
Baghdad
City:
Baghdad
What
Attack Information
Type of Attack () |
Assassination |
Type of Attack () |
Bombing/Explosion |
Successful Attack? () |
Yes |
Target Information ()
Target Type: Religious Figures/Institutions |
Name of Entity |
Shi i sect of Islam in Iraq |
Specific Description |
Buratha Mosque |
Nationality of Target |
Iraq |
Target Type: Religious Figures/Institutions |
Name of Entity |
Imam of Buratha Mosque and member of United Iraqi Alliance |
Specific Description |
Buratha Mosque imam, Jalal al-Din Ali al-Sahir |
Nationality of Target |
|
Additional Information
Hostages |
No |
Ransom |
No |
Property Damage |
Yes |
Extent of Property Damage |
Major (likely > $1 million but < $1 billion) |
Value of Property Damage |
Unknown |
How
Weapon Information
Type |
Sub-type |
Explosives |
Suicide (carried bodily by human being) |
Additional Information
Suicide Attack? | Yes |
Part of Multiple Incident? | No |
Criterion 1 () |
Yes |
Criterion 2 () |
Yes |
Criterion 3 () |
Yes |
Doubt Terrorism Proper () |
No |
Additional Information |
--The U.S. military blamed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of al-Qai'da in Iraq, for the attack. Al-Qai'da released an internet posting threatening the life of Jalal al-Din Ali al-Saghir, Shi i member of United Iraqi Alliance and imam of the mosque, prior to this attack, so it is thought he was the main target, which he reasserted after the mosque was bombed again on June 16. On April 11, al-Saghir had held al-Saghir Harith al-Dari and Adnan al-Dulaymi responsible for the Buratha Mosque Attack. --Unfounded rumors published in newspapers tied to the Sunni political parties have disparaged the Buratha Mosque with charges that it has been used for torture and secret prisons run by militias and renegade members of the Interior Ministry. --The first bomber was thought to be a female, but the gender of the others was unknown. After this person detonated, it is thought that one bomber went towards to the private office of Sheikh al-Saghir, the prayer leader, and detonated. Another bomber then went in the mosque's main prayer hall and detonated. --Reports throughout the week indicated a rise in death count as some wounded continued to die, eventually reaching ninety. --Iraq's interior ministry warned of possible attacks on mosques in Baghdad the same day. |
Who
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name |
Claimed Responsibility |
Al-Qaida in Iraq |
Unknown |
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators |
Unknown |
Number of Captured Perpetrators |
0 |
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties |
90 Fatalities |
Total Number of Fatalities |
90 |
Number of U.S. Fatalities |
0 |
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities |
3 |
Total Number of Injured |
Unknown |
Number of U.S. Injured |
0 |
Number of Perpetrators Injured |
Unknown |
Sources
Sources
Yacoub, Sameer N., “Blast at Shi i mosque in Baghdad kills 79 people, wounds more than 160,” The Associated Press, April 07, 2006. |
Madhani, Aamer, “Dozens killed in blast at Shi i mosque in Baghdad,” Knight/Ridder Tribune News Service, April 07, 2006. |
“Triple suicide bombing kills 79 in Baghdad mosque attack,” Agence France Presse -- English, April 07, 2006. |
Criteria
Criteria 1
The act must be aimed at attaining a political, economic, religious, or social goal. In terms of economic goals, the exclusive pursuit of profit does not satisfy this criterion. It must involve the pursuit of more profound, systemic economic change.
Criterion 2
There must be evidence of an intention to coerce, intimidate, or convey some other message to a larger audience (or audiences) than the immediate victims. It is the act taken as a totality that is considered, irrespective if every individual involved in carrying out the act was aware of this intention. As long as any of the planners or decision-makers behind the attack intended to coerce, intimidate or publicize, the intentionality criterion is met.
Criterion 3
The action must be outside the context of legitimate warfare activities. That is, the act must be outside the parameters permitted by international humanitarian law (particularly the prohibition against deliberately targeting civilians or non-combatants.
Doubt Terrorism Proper
The existence of a "Yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper?" records reservation, in the eyes of GTD analysts, that the incident in question is truly terrorism. Such uncertainty, however, was not deemed to be sufficient to disqualify the incident from inclusion into the GTD. Furthermore, such a determination of doubt is subsequently coded by GTD analysts as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Alternate Designation
The determination of "yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper" by GTD analysts is coded as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Successful Attack
Success of a terrorist strike is defined according to the tangible effects of the attack. For example, in a typical successful bombing, the bomb detonates and destroys property and/or kills individuals, whereas an unsuccessful bombing is one in which the bomb is discovered and defused or detonates early and kills the perpetrators. Success is not judged in terms of the larger goals of the perpetrators. For example, a bomb that exploded in a building would be counted as a success even if it did not, for example, succeed in bringing the building down or inducing government repression.
Type of Attack
This field captures the general method of attack and often reflects the broad class of tactics used. It consists of the following nine categories:
- Assassination
- Armed Assault
- Unarmed Assault
- Bombing/Explosion
- Hijacking
- Hostage taking (Barricade Incident)
- Hostage taking (Kidnapping)
- Facility / Infrastructure Attack
- Unknown
Target Information
This field captures the general type of target. It consists of the following 22 categories:
- Abortion Related
- Airports & Airlines
- Business
- Government (General)
- Government (Diplomatic)
- Educational Institution
- Food or Water Supply
- Journalists & Media
- Maritime (includes Ports and Maritime facilities)
- Military
- NGO
- Other
- Police
- Private Citizens & Property
- Religious Figures/Institutions
- Telecommunication
- Terrorists
- Tourists
- Transportation (other than aviation)
- Unknown
- Utilities
- Violent Political Parties