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Najaf Blast Kills at Least 75; Top Cleric Dies

By Ivan Watson
Published August 29, 2003 at 12:00 AM EDT

An apparent car bomb explodes outside of a mosque in the Muslim holy city of Najaf, killing at least 75 people, including prominent Shiite cleric Ayatollah Mohammed Baqer al-Hakim. Al-Hakim led a political party that operated in exile for years in Iran during Saddam Hussein's regime, and had cooperated to a degree with occupying U.S. forces. Hear NPR's Ivan Watson.

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Ivan Watson
Ivan Watson is currently based in Istanbul, Turkey. Following the 9-11 terrorist attacks, he has served as one of NPR's foreign "firemen," shuttling to and from hotspots around the Middle East and Central Asia.