http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/07/201271012301347496.html
Ansar Dine destroy more shrines in Mali
Al-Qaeda-linked group destroys shrines at Timbuktu mosque, vowing to attack
more World Heritage sites.
Last Modified: 10 Jul 2012 14:46
inShare
Ansar Dine fighters destroyed two tombs in the Djingareyber mud mosque in
Timbuktu [AFP]
Fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked group Ansar Dine, controlling northern Mali,
have destroyed two tombs at the ancient Djingareyber mud mosque in Timbuktu, an
endangered World Heritage site, witnesses say.
About a dozen men arrived in an armoured four-wheel drive truck, armed with
pickaxes and hoes. They fired in the air
to intimidate people and started smashing the tombs, according to Ibrahim
Cisse, who witnessed the incident.
"They blocked the two main roads leading to the mausoleums. When they saw
people gathering for a ceremony nearby, they began firing shots in the air,"
another resident, Mahamad ould Ibrahim, said.
The new destruction comes after attacks last week on other historic and
religious landmarks in Timbuktu that UNESCO called "wanton destruction". Ansar
Dine has declared the ancient Muslim shrines "haram", or forbidden in Islam,
The Djingareyber mosque is one of the most important in Timbuktu and was one of
the fabled city's main attractions before the region became a no-go area for
tourists.
Ansar Dine has vowed to continue destroying all the shrines "without exception"
amid an outpouring of grief and outrage both at home and abroad.
On Tuesday a source in Ansar Dine told the AFP news agency that "from now on,
as soon as foreigners speak of Timbuktu" they would attack anything referred to
as a World Heritage site.
"There is no world heritage, it doesn't exist. The infidels must not get
involved in our business," said a Tunisian who gave his name only as Ahmed and
said he was part of Ansar Dine's "media committee".
"We will destroy everything, even if the mausolea are inside the mosques, and
afterwards we will destroy the mausolea in the region of Timbuktu," he said.
Cultural treasures
The fighters from Ansar Dine or Defenders of Faith, began their destruction of
the city's cultural treasures on July 1, shortly after UNESCO placed them on a
list of endangered World Heritage sites.
They destroyed seven of Timbuktu's 16 mausolea and the sacred door of the
15th-century Sidi Yahya mosque.
MALI CRISIS
Northern Mali: A dying land
Is Mali's conflict a threat to the region?
Timeline: Mali since 1960
Along with Sidi Yahya, Djingareyber and the Sankore mosque bear witness to
Timbuktu's golden age as an intellectual and spiritual capital which was
crucial in the spread of Islam throughout Africa.
According to the UNESCO website, the Djingareyber mosque, the oldest of the
three, was built by the sultan Kankan Moussa after his return in 1325 from a
pilgrimage to Mecca.
All have been restored several times.
More ancient tombs are situated in the towns of Araouane and Gassra-Cheick in
the greater Timbuktu region.
A March 22 coup in Mali eased the way for Tuareg separatist rebels to seize a
vast area in the north that they consider their homeland.
However, the previously unknown Ansar Dine group seized the upper hand while
fighting on their flanks.
Openly allied with the north African group al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb,
they have since pushed the Tuareg rebels from all positions of power.
The international community fears the desert region, which is larger than
France, will become a new haven for terrorist activity. The fighters have
threatened any country that joins a possible military intervention force in
Mali.
West African mediators have ordered Mali's embattled interim government to form
a unity government by July 31 that will be better able to deal with the
northern occupation.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------------------
Post message: [email protected]
Subscribe : [email protected]
Unsubscribe : [email protected]
List owner : [email protected]
Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
[email protected]
[email protected]
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[email protected]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
