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Iraqi govt announces two-day vehicle ban in Baghdad
BAGHDAD - The Iraqi government announced a two-day vehicle ban in parts of Baghdad starting on Friday night as thousands of Shias converged on the capital to mark the martyrdom of a revered 8th century Imam.

“Some 1,000 Shias were killed in a stampede during last year’s ceremony... ”
Some 1,000 Shias were killed in a stampede during last year’s ceremony after a crowd of faithful converging on the northern Kadhimiya district was panicked by rumours of a suicide bomber. It was the highest daily death toll since the end of the U.S.-led war in 2003 to oust Saddam Hussein.

The office of Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki told Reuters the ban would be enforced in about 11 districts around Kadhimiya, on both sides of the Tigris River, from 9 p.m. (1700 GMT) on Friday until 6 a.m. (0200 GMT) on Monday.
Posted by: Steve White 2006-08-19
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=163358