HOLY CITY OF NAJAF, Iraq: Deadly clashes near the holy city of Najaf – home to the holy shrine of Al-Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (p), holy Prophet (p)’s son-in-law, cousin and first infallible successor – that erupted late Wednesday have been widely condemned.

Head of Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) and son of late Grand Marje of Shiia World Sayyed Mohsin At-Tabatabai Al-Hakim, Sayyed Abdulaziz Al-Hakim, has strongly denounced aggression against innocent people, public and private property, and offices of Shaheid As-Sadr and SCIRI in Holy Najaf and other Iraq cities.

In a statement that begins with unity verse of holy Quran “hold strongly the rope of Allah”, Al-Hakim said the last two day deadly clashes in Holy Najaf and other cities pained us too much because these are against interests of Iraqi people and hurdle in achieving high objectives of freedom, independence and justice. He said our enemy could not bear our unity.

He said today we are going through a very sensitive stage, and this situation demands from us to thwart every conspiracy aimed at creating rift among Muslims and Iraqis.

Our unity is sufficient to respond enemies’ tactics, and we are under obligation to know significance of this harmony, to promote this blessing and stand against all conspiracies that are hatched against it.

Grand Ayatullah Sayyed Ali As-Sisani also slammed the clashes and urged the need to solve the crisis.

In another development on Thursday, Iraqi police found bodies of 36 men executed with a bullet to the head and dumped in a river south of Baghdad, an interior ministry source said.

The source said, "Thirty-six bodies of men aged 25 to 35 ... all shot in the head, were found dumped in a stream in Oraida, 25 kilometers (15 miles) east of Kut," 175 kilometres (110 miles) south of Baghdad.

The decomposing bodies, all wearing civilian clothes, were thought to have been dead around five days and had their hands bound or handcuffed, he added.