Good stuff.

I like it, but (if I may) I would suggest an initial change. The opening statement is ambiguous. It takes getting into the second sentence to get clarification of the first. Also, you don't need to say it was a gigantic bomb. That the mosque was destroyed tells the reader what he needs to know about the size of the bomb. Odds are it wasn't gigantic. "Powerful" might be a better word.

Be assertive in that opening remark.

On Wednesday, February 22, 2006, a powerful bomb destroyed the Golden Mosque in Samarra, Iraq. The mosque was one of the holiest sites of the Shia Muslims and sparked a level of rage in Iraq not seen since the end of the official war.

I think this grabs your reader more quickly and more forcefully. After that, you can toy with him.