New Delhi: Three Indians were shot dead in Iraq on Saturday, in what appears to be a Sunni extremist attack on Shia pilgrims. Their minibus with 40 people on board was attacked near Ramadi, as they were on their way to Karbala.
The grieving family – mourning Ahmad Ali who will never return home to Hyderabad. Ali and two other Indians travelling by bus to the holy shrine of Karbala were ambushed and gunned down by unknown militants on Friday night.
Ahmad Ali’s brother Sikander Ali says, “The women were separated, they took the passports and jewellery. And then they killed them.”
Ali, Zafar Mashadi and M Beigh had left India on August 22. Unlike them, 11 other Indians also on the same pilgrimage got lucky. But all 14 had ignored a government advisory against travelling to Iraq into an area, which is the heartland of a Sunni minority revolt and to an especially sensitive shrine.
In March 2006, 15 people died in a terrorist attack in Karbala.
In 2005, 181 people died in blasts and suicide attacks at Shia shrines – again in Karbala and Baghdad.
In December 2005, 60 died in terror strikes. All attacks suspected to be the work of Sunni extremists.
Ali and his fellow pilgrims took a huge risk and paid for it with their lives.
The families now hope for compensation from the state government – none has been announced as yet.
As per the wishes of their families, the three will be laid to rest in Karbala.
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