Iraqi Shia leader warns against civil war

Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, a top figure in the ruling Shia Alliance, urged Shias to stand firm against what he called a campaign by al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi to ignite civil war with bombings like the one at a Baghdad mosque a day earlier.

"The alert Iraqi people, who are obedient to the religious establishments, should not give in to sectarian discord that is part of a campaign by Zarqawi and groups associated with him aimed at sectarian war," he told thousands of supporters.