Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq

    WASHINGTON, June 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday strongly condemned the bombing of a most revered Shiite shrine in the northern Iraqi city of Samarra, describing the terror attack as "Al-Qaeda's scheme to sow hatred among the Iraqi people."

    "This barbarous act was clearly aimed at inflaming sectarian tensions among the peoples of Iraq and defeating their aspirations for a secure, democratic and prosperous country," Bush said in a statement.

    "I join Iraq's leaders in calling on all Iraqis to refrain from acts of vengeance and reject Al-Qaeda's scheme to sow hatred among the Iraqi people and to instead join together in fighting Al-Qaedaas the true enemy of a free and secure Iraq," he said.

    Bush also urged the international community and Iraq's neighbors to do everything they can to help Iraq combat the terrorists, especially to stop the flow of foreign terrorists into Iraq.

    An earlier White House statement said that Bush had telephoned the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to offer his condolences over the attack.

    Insurgents blew up two minarets of the Shiite shrine in Samarra, some 120 km north of Baghdad, on Wednesday morning, raising fears of an escalation of sectarian violence between Shiites and Sunnis in the war-torn country.

    U.S. condemns bombing of Shiite shrine in Iraq

    WASHINGTON, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The United States condemned Wednesday the bombing of the most revered Shiite shrine in the northern Iraqi city of Samarra, and urged Iraqis to unite to fight against extremists. Full story

    Iraq: explosion destroys Golden Dome minarets

    BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhuanet) -- One day after U.S. and Iraqi forces raided a suspected Sunni militia headquarters in northern Iraq, insurgents on Wednesday blew up the two minarets of the Golden Dome Shiite shrine in Samarra, police and a security official said. Full story