By IANS
Srinagar : Hundreds of Shia Muslims staged protests across the Kashmir Valley Thursday condemning the bombing of a mosque in the Iraqi town of Sammara.
Unidentified men Wednesday blew up the minarets of the mosque of Imams Hassan al-Askari and Ali al-Hadi. The mosque, which contains the tombs of the two Imams, was attacked in February 2006 too.
Angry protesters in the valley forced the closure of markets in Shia dominated Badgam town and Zadibal area of downtown Srinagar shouting slogans against US President George W. Bush. They alleged that America's occupation of Iraq led to the mosque attack.
"Down with America, down with Bush, down with Israel," the emotionally charged crowd shouted.
The US has also condemned the bombing, describing it as Al Qaeda's scheme to sow hatred among the Iraqi people.
People in the Shia majority Magam town of north Kashmir's Baramulla district, 29 km from here, also took to the streets on the Srinagar-Gulmarg highway. Reports from Kargil district said markets were closed there.
Thursday's protests remained restricted to Shia populated areas. The authorities are keeping a close watch on the situation to ensure that the protests do not snowball into any major problem.