-- By CNN's Jomana Karadsheh It was my first time at Iraq’s ground zero. Al- Askari Shrine in Samarra, one of Shiite Islam’s holiest sites, was bombed twice. It was the first bombing on February 22nd 2006 that destroyed the shrine’s golden dome, and the one that would change Iraq forever. The US Military and the Iraqi Government blamed al-Qaeda in Iraq. Shiites blamed Sunnis for the attack on the shrine that houses the tombs of two of Shiite Islams 12 revered Imams. Soon, reprisal attacks against Sunnis escalated into a bloody sectarian war that plagued the country and claimed tens of thousands of lives. Chills ran down my spine as I thought of the lives lost since that day. The U.S. Military organized our media trip to the city after it was recently listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The security situation in Iraq, including the predominantly Sunni city of Samarra, has changed for the better over the past few months, but little looked like it had changed at the Shrine itself. Rubble from the bombings was still piled high, lining the sides of the road leading to the shrine. The few workers on site looked unenthused. The shrine is now protected by Shiite guards deployed by Iraq's Prime Minister. The tough looking guards asked our U.S. military escorts to stay outside as they took us into the shrine complex. Citing orders from the PM, they hurried us through parts of the shrine and scrambled what we could film. But just a f ...
Anytime
-- By CNN's Jomana Karadsheh It was my first time at Iraq’s ground zero. Al- Askari Shrine in Samarra, one of Shiite Islam’s holiest sites, was bombed twice. It was the first bombing on February 22nd 2006 that destroyed the shrine’s golden dome, and the one that would change Iraq forever. The US Military and the Iraqi Government blamed al-Qaeda in Iraq. Shiites blamed Sunnis for the attack on the shrine that houses the tombs of two of Shiite Islams 12 revered Imams. Soon, reprisal attacks against Sunnis escalated into a bloody sectarian war that plagued the country and claimed tens of thousands of lives. Chills ran down my spine as I thought of the lives lost since that day. The U.S. Military organized our media trip to the city after it was recently listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The security situation in Iraq, including the predominantly Sunni city of Samarra, has changed for the better over the past few months, but little looked like it had changed at the Shrine itself. Rubble from the bombings was still piled high, lining the sides of the road leading to the shrine. The few workers on site looked unenthused. The shrine is now protected by Shiite guards deployed by Iraq's Prime Minister. The tough looking guards asked our U.S. military escorts to stay outside as they took us into the shrine complex. Citing orders from the PM, they hurried us through parts of the shrine and scrambled what we could film. But just a f ...