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04/02/2005:

"Iraqi insurgents blow top off historic monument"

Suspected insurgents yesterday blew up the top of a 9th-century Islamic minaret which is one of Iraq's most important heritage sites.

The blast punched a two-metre hole in the Malwiya, a spiralling yellow sandstone architectural wonder towering 50 metres (170ft) over Samarra, a flashpoint town north of Baghdad.

For centuries pilgrims and tourists have climbed the stairway winding up to the pinnacle. Built by Abbasid Caliph al-Motawakel in AD852, the structure appears on Iraq's 250-dinar bill.

Witnesses said the explosion had happened shortly after two men descended from the top. A US military spokesman blamed insurgents and said there had been no coalition troops at the site yesterday.

Residents said American snipers and Iraqi troops sometimes occupied the minaret. US-led troops took Samarra from insurgents in October. Last year a mortar blew a small hole in the tower.
Full Article: guardian.co.uk