Beirut cleric condemns Jakarta blast

Beirut cleric condemns Jakarta blast

LEBANON: Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, spiritual head of Beirut's Shi'ite Muslim fundamentalists, condemned on Friday the car-bomb attack on a Jakarta hotel that killed at least 10 people and said it was harmful to Islam.

"Such actions achieve none of the aims of Islam, which on the contrary is disfigured by attacks on civilian targets, especially in Muslim regions where they complicate the situation of inhabitants and lessen their security," he said in a statement.

But the Shi'ite cleric also underlined his opposition to U.S. policies which he said "usurp the interests of people and exert pressure on free men, especially Muslims, under the pretext of the 'war on terror'".

In Washington, analysts said this week's car bomb in Indonesia was the latest reminder that the "war on terrorism" cannot be won like a traditional military campaign and will require a lengthy global effort. --Agencies