At approximately 6:44<span id="mwAXY" typeof="mw:Entity"> </span>a.m.  <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTC+03:00" id="mwAXc" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="UTC+03:00">local Iraqi time</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_al-Askari_mosque_bombing" id="mwAXg" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="2006 al-Askari mosque bombing">explosions occurred</a> at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Askari_Shrine" id="mwAXk" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="Al-Askari Shrine">al-Askari Shrine</a> in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samarra" id="mwAXo" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="Samarra">Samarra</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq" id="mwAXs" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="Iraq">Iraq</a>. The attack on the shrine, one of the holiest sites in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shia_Islam" id="mwAXw" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="Shia Islam">Shia Islam</a>, caused the escalation of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sectarian_violence_in_Iraq" id="mwAX0" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="Sectarian violence in Iraq">sectarian tensions in Iraq</a> into a <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_Civil_War_(2006-2008)" id="mwAX4" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="Iraqi Civil War (2006-2008)">full-scale civil war</a>.<sup about="#mwt235" class="mw-ref reference" data-mw='{"name":"ref","attrs":{},"body":{"id":"mw-reference-text-cite_note-44"}}' id="cite_ref-44" rel="dc:references" typeof="mw:Extension/ref"><a href="./February_22#cite_note-44" id="mwAX8" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 44;"><span class="mw-reflink-text" id="mwAYA">[44]</span></a></sup>
<span class="mw-reference-text" id="mw-reference-text-cite_note-44"><cite about="#mwt232" class="citation web cs1" id="mwCNw"><a class="external text" href="https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2006/feb/28/iraq1" id="mwCN0" rel="mw:ExtLink nofollow">"<span class="cs1-kern-left" id="mwCN4"></span>'1,300 dead' in Iraq sectarian violence | Iraq"</a>. <i id="mwCN8">The Guardian</i><span class="reference-accessdate" id="mwCOA">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap" id="mwCOE">2022-01-01</span></span>.</cite><span about="#mwt232" class="Z3988" id="mwCOI" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&amp;rft.genre=unknown&amp;rft.jtitle=The+Guardian&amp;rft.atitle=%271%2C300+dead%27+in+Iraq+sectarian+violence+%7C+Iraq&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Famp.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2006%2Ffeb%2F28%2Firaq1&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AFebruary+22"></span></span>