Mustansiriya University
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Mustansiriya University is one of the oldest Islamic universities in the world, established in 1233 by the Abbasid Caliph al-Mustansir. The college was incorporated into the Baghdad University in 1962. Its main focus is on teaching law and literature.
[edit] 2003 Invasion of Iraq
On February 26, 2007 a female suicide bomber triggered a ball bearing-packed charge at the university killing at least 41 people, most of them students at the business school annex. Previously, on January 16, 2007 two bombs at the university also killed at least 70 people and wounded at least 169 more.[1]
Two weeks after the bombing, US forces tried to launch a raid against the University, but were turned back by a large student protest decrying their actions.[2]
There has been criticism of the implicit support for the Shi'ite Medhi Army by residents and staff of the University.[3][4]
