Iraq - Nation Unites Over Stampede

The stampede that killed 1,000 Iraqis, doesn't seem to be igniting the civil war some had hoped. In fact, it has united Iraqis.

IN A rare show of national solidarity, thousands of Sunnis have joined Iraqi Shias in donating money, jewellery and toys to the families of the 1,000 victims of last week’s bridge stampede.

“We never expected such a response. The disaster has been a trigger showing how unified Iraqis are,” said Ali Alkhalidi, the chief correspondent at the Iraqiya TV station in central Baghdad, where the main appeal centre is located.

“People have come from all over Iraq to give money for the bereaved: Sunnis, Shia, Turkomen, Kurds.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------