Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, the leader of the largest Shiite group that opposed Saddam Hussein (AP)
Bombing in Najaf Story aired: Friday, August 29, 2003
Today in Najaf, Iraq, a huge car bomb exploded at the Imam Ali Mosque during Friday prayers, killing Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir Al-Hakim, one of Iraq's most important Shiite clerics. The blast occurred just after he had given a speech calling for Iraqi unity. Early reports say as many 75 people were killed.
We talk with a reporter in Baghdad to fill in on the details as they appear now.
Also, we speak with an Iraqi citizen about the chaos in the country:
Kareem Mohi is an Iraqi, a Shiite, a citizen of Baghdad. He worked for many years as a driver, interpreter and what we in the news business call a "fixer" for the cable news channel CNN. He now mostly stays at home guarding his family and possessions from the chaos outside his home. We spoke to him yesterday on his satellite phone, and he told us about his disappointments in post-Saddam Iraq.
