Mortars strike near revered Iraq Shiite shrine

A mortar attack near a revered Shiite Muslim shrine north of Baghdad wounded three people, officials said Tuesday, as Iraq seeks to repel Sunni militants who have overrun swathes of territory.

Though the mortars did not damage the Al-Askari shrine in the predominantly-Sunni city of Samarra, which lies in Salaheddin province north of Baghdad, the attack indicates the proximity of militant groups to the holy site.

The mortars struck around 200 meters (yards) from the shrine at 11:00 pm (20:00 GMT) Monday and left three people wounded, according to security and medical officials.

It has been the target of militant attacks before, with the authorities fearing that a successful strike against it could ignite a full-blown sectarian war, as was the case in February 2006 when al-Qaida destroyed the shrine's golden dome.

The shrine is where Ali al-Hadi and his son Hassan al-Askari, descendents of Prophet Mohammed and the 10th and 11th of 12 Shiite imams, are buried, and is frequented by throngs of Shiite pilgrims from around the world.