BAGHDAD, July 19 (UPI) -- The most influential Shiite cleric in Iraq says the slaughter of hundreds of civilians by suicide bombers points to a "genocidal war" threatening the country. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who issued the warning, has so far been able to restrain his followers from attacking Sunnis, from among whom the bombers are recruited, Britain's Independent newspaper reported Tuesday. However, sectarian divisions between the Shiites and Sunnis are deepening across Iraq after the recent killing of 18 children in the district of New Baghdad, the report said.
The ayatollah's warning comes amid calls for the formation of militias to protect Baghdad neighborhoods. Against the wishes of the cleric, some Shiites have started retaliatory killings of members of the former regime, the report said. |