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| Iraq |
| Analysis of Shi'ite on Shi'ite Violence |
| 2007-10-07 |
| Iraq's most powerful Shiite militia planned and carried out a bloody attack on two of Shiite Islam's holiest shrines in the southern city of Karbala in late August, violence that exposed deep divisions within the Shiite community, according to documents, police and lawmakers involved in investigating the violence. The fallout from the attack could further splinter Iraq's ruling political alliance and diminish U.S. prospects for bringing stability to Iraq. It also raises troubling questions about the complicity of Iraqi officials with violent militiamen. The street fighting that broke out in Karbala on Aug. 28 demonstrated that while an escalation of U.S. troops has lessened violence in Baghdad and western Iraq, another conflict is brewing in the south. With British soldiers accelerating their departure from the region, the south is emerging as one of the most vulnerable regions of Iraq. There is some new news here, really. The battle that day was instigated by members of the Mahdi Army, the militia led by Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, when its gunmen fired rocket-propelled grenades and rifles from neighboring rooftops down into a crowd of thousands of pilgrims who had gathered between the Imam Hussein and Imam Abbas shrines, according to Karbala police investigative documents and Iraqi officials. Government officials loyal to Sadr and Mahdi Army members denied they were responsible for the violence. But the trauma transcended the death toll, exposing deep rivalries among police, militiamen, religious leaders and the politicians vying for supremacy. More than 580 suspects were rounded up. The killings sparked Sadr's public decision to freeze Mahdi Army operations -- a position welcomed by U.S. military commanders. And yet, somehow, this is a bad thing? The details of the violence that day were contested from the beginning. Witnesses described it as clashes between the Mahdi Army and shrine guards, believed to be loyal to the Badr Organization, the armed wing of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, a prominent Shiite political party. The Badr group also denied it was to blame. On Saturday, in an apparent attempt to calm the Shiite south, the leaders of the two militias, Sadr and Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, signed a peace agreement and pledged to work together to avoid bloodshed and confrontation. The document, shown on Iraqi television, stated the need for "protecting and respecting Iraqi blood regardless of the situation or sect," as well as maintaining "friendly feelings and to avoid hatred." Liwa Smaysim, a top political aide to Sadr, said the pact involved creating joint committees to mediate disputes. The Muslim holy month of Ramadan, typically a time for forgiving grievances, played a role in the timing of the pact, he said. Instead of splodydoping during Ramadan, they forgive grievances? Now that's news! Much more at link. |
| Posted by:Bobby |
| #1 Not much interest, eh? I guess I should've titled it, "Why Mookie Froze Mahdi Army Operations". |
| Posted by: Bobby 2007-10-07 16:27 |