Washington - The United States condemned the bombing of a celebrated Shiite mosque in Iraq on Wednesday but was confident US and Iraqi governments are better prepared to respond to a possible outbreak of sectarian violence. White House spokesman Tony Snow cited comments by prominent Iraqi leaders urging Sunnis and Shiites to remain calm and not repeat the violence that broke out after the same mosque was attacked in February 2006.
"You have seen Sunni, Shia and other leaders throughout the country calling for folks not to engage in sectarian violence," Snow said.
Snow blamed al-Qaeda for trying to provoke bloodshed by bombing the mosque's two revered minarets.
"It fits the al-Qaeda profile, which is an attempt to inflame sectarian violence by hitting a holy site," Snow said.
The bombing last year was followed by months of clashes between Sunnis and Shiites that claimed tens of thousands of lives. The sectarian strife crippled the divided Iraqi government and brought the country to the brink of full-blown civil war.
Snow said the US and Iraqi governments have a better understanding of the sectarian tension than they did after the bombing last year and are in a better position to ensure "al-Qaeda cannot have the same kind of twisted success they had the first time."
"We clearly want to do everything to avoid that kind of fate this time," he said.
US President George W Bush spoke about the bombing with the US ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, and his top military commander in the country, General David Petreaus, Snow said.
