(22 Feb 2016) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP CLIENTS ONLY
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Samarra, north of Baghdad - 21 February 2016
1. Al-Askari shrine which contains the tombs of Ali al-Hadi and his son Hassan al-Askari, descendants of Prophet Muhammad, still undergoing
reconstruction after it was bombed in February 2006
2. Scaffolding around shrine, rebuilt golden dome in background
3. Various of the shrine minaret under construction
4. Various of domes and other parts of the shrine under construction
5. Various of interiors of shrine under construction, scaffolding
6. Various of workers reconstructing and rebuilding interiors of holy shrine
7. Set up of Rahman al-Fayadh, Head of Askari shrine information department, outside shrine
8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Rahman al-Fayadh, Head of al-Askari shrine information department:
''The budget deficit has negatively affected the completion of reconstructing of the sacred shrine. We hope that a special amount of money will be allocated to rebuild the holy shrine in Samarra.''
9. Various of workers rebuilding the shrine
10. Bejewelled ceiling of shrine
11. Various of workers rebuilding shrine interior
12. Set up for Mohammed Hassan al-Batat, pilgrim from Baghdad
13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mohammed Hassan al-Batat, Pilgrim from Baghdad:
''The way leading to the holy shrine is safe and there is a group of people who receive pilgrims and guide them to the holy shrine. Life is normal in Samarra."
14.Various of pilgrims outside holy shrine under construction
15. Scaffolding and wooden planks
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Baghdad - 12 February 2016
16. Set up of Hakim al-Zamili Shiite lawmaker, Chairman of the Parliament Security and Defence committee
17. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Hakim al-Zamili, Shiite lawmaker, Chairman of the Parliament Security and Defence Committee:
''The financial and economic crisis in Iraq due to the plunging oil prices and its preoccupation in battling (Islamic State group) are the main reasons which led to the delay of reconstructing the holy shrine after it had been bombed and destroyed by al-Qaida and some Iraqi collaborators. Moreover, the deteriorating security situation and lack of professional companies specialising in building holy shrines are also among the reasons that hinder the completion of reconstructing the holy shrine.''
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Samarra, north of Baghdad - 21 February 2016
18. Shrine under construction
19. Various of photos showing bulk of destruction to the shrine after being bombed on February 22, 2006
20. Wide of pilgrims and Shiite militiamen (Saraya al-Salam) peace brigades formerly Mahdi Army, led by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in shrine complex
STORYLINE:
Ten years after Sunni extremists blew up a revered Shiite shrine, igniting the worst sectarian violence Iraq had ever seen, the country remains deeply divided, with the Islamic State group facing off against increasingly powerful Shiite militias.
The rebuilt golden dome of the al-Askari shrine rises above the low, brown skyline of Samarra, but down below a maze of blast walls and checkpoints manned by Shiite militiamen separate pilgrims from the city's mostly Sunni residents.
The IS group's lightning advance across northern and western Iraq in 2014 stalled just outside Samarra, though the front lines are now some 30 kilometres (20 miles) away.
Many believe IS would have never emerged if al-Qaida in Iraq -- a precursor of the extremist group -- had not blown up the shrine in the early hours of February 22, 2006, shattering its golden dome and setting off a two-year wave of reprisal attacks.
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