Last night the men from the local mosque were out defending the area.

He said the Americans had then pulled back, only to take renewed fire from the mosque.

"That was the way we came from the mosque," I said.

The blast, which also wounded at least 21 people, was about two miles from the mosque.

"There is an imam who called from the mosque for people not to vote."

At some point the original entrance from the mosque was blocked.

"They came to us from the mosque, two guys," he recalled.

Many of these members come from university campuses, mosques and trade unions.

The entire system is managed from a control center a little over four miles from the mosque.

This gave rise to the popular legend that they were cut, in order to allow a better view from the nearby mosque.