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Sunnis shun Ramzan celebrations

BAGHDAD: Fearing attacks, Sunnis in Baghdad largely shunned public celebrations of the end of the holy month of Ramzan on Monday, while a car bomb in an eastern district of the capital killed three persons.

The near absence of public displays of jubilation in Sunni areas reflects the worsening security in the capital, whose 6 million residents are roughly divided between Shias and Sunnis, making it the main battlefield in the country's widening sectarian violence.

Iraq's majority Shias will celebrate the three-day Id ul-Fitr on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Despite an increased police and army presence on the streets, many Sunnis said they would rather stay home than risk falling victim to car bombs or Shia death squads.

In Baghdad's Azamiyah district, home to Sunni Islam's holiest shrine in Iraq, the neighbourhood's formerly bustling amusement parks and kebab eateries remained virtually empty.

Militants set the tone for the festival day on Sunday, with mortar and bomb attacks on Baghdad markets packed with shoppers buying sweets, pastries and clothes.

``We are still afraid to venture outside Azamiyah,'' said Mohammed, a Government employee.

The scene was different in the mainly Sunni city of Tikrit, former President Saddam Hussein's hometown, 130 km north of Baghdad. Families thronged the city's main street, shopping, buying pastries and filling restaurants.

Marine killed

In other incidents, the U.S. military reported the death of a Marine in action in the restive western province of Anbar on Saturday, bringing the number of U.S. troops killed in October to 86 — the highest monthly toll since November 2004.

Five soldiers were reported killed from gunfire or roadside bombs on Sunday.

The military also reported the death of a member of the international force training Iraqi policemen in a roadside bombing in eastern Baghdad on Sunday.

The car bomb on Baghdad's Palestine street had targeted a police patrol, but its victims, including 13 injured, were pedestrians, police said. — AP

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