"Iraq Heads Toward Civil War"

The New Zealand Herald writes that "Iraq is edging closer to outright civil war as furious mobs attack Sunni mosques in retaliation for the bombing of one of the country's most revered Shiite shrines." The Telegraph also expresses concerns about civil war as more than 150 people were killed Thursday. Protests have spread to Lebanon.

A day after the destruction one of the Golden Mosque in Samarra, one of the holiest Shiite shrines, 128 Sunni mosques have reportedly been attacked. The New York Times calls "Islamic sectarianism" the "greatest challenge to peace" and cautions of the "rising tide of Sunni extremism in the Middle East." But the Daily Times (Pakistan) believe the beneficiary of the violence is the "occupation."

In the Iraqi elections, the Shiites took the majority of seats in the Iraqi Parliment, causing some Sunnis to fear being marginalized. The Sunni Accord Front has abandoned political unity talks. Reports are that many insurgents are Sunni.

The Daily Times contends that the "occupation" does not want a sectarian goverment: "US ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, recently said that any sectarian government in Iraq would be unacceptable and that the US would stop funding if such a government is installed in Baghdad. Similar comments were made by the British secretary of state during his surprise visit to Baghdad a few days before the Saamarra blast."

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