United Nations ? UNESCO, the United Nations education and culture agency, has pledged to help Iraq restore a bombed Shiite mosque in the northern city of Samarra, the U.N. said Wednesday.

The Askariya, or Golden, Mosque, about 65 miles north of Baghdad, will require an estimated $8.4 million to restore after being targeted in two separate terrorist attacks, on June 13 and in February 2006.

Countries sponsoring Iraq reconstruction programs have pledged more than $5 million in contributions, while the Iraqi government has said it will provide the remaining $3.4 million.

The project to restore one of the holiest Shiite shrines will take some 10 months to complete, and restorers are set to start work as soon as the security situation in Samarra improves.