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| Iraq |
| Shia opposition not yet ready to fight Iraq regime |
| 2003-03-22 |
| Iraq's main Shia opposition faction, based in Iran, has not yet decided to send its military wing into action against the Baghdad regime. "So far no decision has been made by the armed wing of Supreme Assembly of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SAIRI) to confront the Iraqi regime," said SAIRI number two Abdul Aziz al-Hakim. SAIRI's armed wing, the Al-Badr Brigade, is believed to number between 10,000 and 15,000 fighters. Many are said to have crossed into Kurdish-held northern Iraq in anticipation of the US-led war aimed at toppling Saddam Hussein. Hakim said Friday his party was "in contact with its armed forces in the north, south, and centre (of Iraq), notably in Baghdad, who are ready to implement certain plans as soon as they receive orders." I've got a feeling what those "certain plans" might be... Western diplomatic sources in Tehran say that the United States, which sees the group as too close to the Iranian regime, has told the Shia opposition that its armed forces were not authorised to enter Iraq after the start of war. Hakim was named at a meeting in late February as part of a six-member collective leadership which is set to decide on a post-Saddam Hussein interim government. The collective leadership was set to include Kurdish parties, the Iraqi National Congress and SAIRI, which is the main Shia opposition group. Hundreds of Al-Badr Brigade fighters earlier this month put on a rare show of military force at their northern Iraqi base, while their leadership vowed to act independently of the United States in the battle against Saddam. The "show of military force" was a parade... During a parade by the group in the southeast of the Kurdish autonomous zone close to the Iranian border, Hakim said his well-disciplined army would quickly move to secure areas captured from the Iraqi regime in the hours following a US assault. Ummm... Lemme get this straight: you don't have the strength to throw Sammy out, so you're waiting for us to do it. Then you're going to take it away from us? Figger the odds... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |