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| Iraq |
| Iraq plots attack on its holy cities to discredit US |
| 2003-04-02 |
| IRAQ is planning to attack two of the holiest cities in Shia Islam in an attempt to blame coalition forces and provoke Shia Muslims, allied commanders believe. The coalition has, therefore, issued strict orders that American and British forces must steer well clear of the holy sites of Najaf and Karbala, even though they lie directly in the path of the advance on Baghdad from the south. "If it's a holy war, then blowing up holy sites by our holy warriors is, well, holy, aint it?" The British and American Governments have told the Muslim world that they will respect the neutrality of the two cities. The move is an attempt to ensure that Iraq cannot launch missiles or detonate bombs in the cities and then blame allied forces. Last night American soldiers edged through the outskirts of Najaf, trying to flush out an estimated 2,000 troops loyal to President Saddam Hussein and irregular fighters. However, US special forces operating around the city have told army chiefs that Iraqi defenders have set about converting the city’s holiest site into a paramilitary stronghold. Fedayin militias are firing rocket-propelled grenades and mortars from the streets around the shrine, which is near a market, according to US forces. Everything seems to happen around a market in Iraq. The defensive set-up presents a potential nightmare for American troops, who regard Najaf as a key target. US military chiefs were hoping to be able to turn over control of the city to the leaders of the Shiite community, believing that it would send a signal to other cities across the south. Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, received a telephone call from Kamal Kharrazi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, on Sunday and assured him that General Tommy Franks, the US commander in the Gulf, had ordered all forces to avoid Najaf and Karbala. Iran has expressed deep concern about the two holy sites, which are visited by thousands of Muslims each year. For many Shia Muslims, these visits are more important than the pilgrimage to Mecca. Clergy at the holy city of Qom in Iran issued a statement last week calling on the belligerents to avoid damaging shrines in Iraq. Allied sources told The Times that they had evidence that the Iraqi Government had ordered an atrocity in one or other of the cities, such as the targetting of the mosques, the killing of pilgrims or the shelling of a marketplace. Peaceniks will blame us, natch. Najaf is the site of the venerated tomb of Imam Ali, the father of Imam Hussein, whose death in AD680 led to the creation of the Shia branch of Islam. The imposing mosque in Karbala has a golden dome and the city has become a centre of Shia scholarship. The destruction of Hussein’s tomb at Karbala by puritanical Wahhabi Muslims from Arabia two centuries ago has led to lasting suspicion between the religious establishments of Iran and Saudi Arabia. Mistrust of Wahhabites goes a long ways back! British officials claim that troops are now making steady gains in winning over the suspicious Shia population in the south. Some 300 Shia militia fought alongside US forces in an attack on Iraqi positions at ash-Shatraf, north of al-Nasiriyah, last week. This is seen as evidence that Shia fighters are losing their fear of Saddam’s regime. Might want to let the Shia milita take the lead in digging the Fedayeen out around the holy sites. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #2 "Some 300 Shia militia fought alongside US forces in an attack on Iraqi positions at ash-Shatraf, north of al-Nasiriyah, last week." This is big news, and should be more widely publicized. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-04-02 11:43:16 |
| #1 Fortunately these scumbags won't end up in Cyprus. |
| Posted by: someone 2003-04-02 01:24:41 |