The Sadrist Problem

The parliament has recently sent a delegation to Sadr City to review the situation and report back. MP’s in 3 cars, without protection, toured Sadr City and were taken to the Imam Ali Hospital and Sadr Hospital to see the injured and see first hand what is going on.

In today’s parliamentary session, this report was discussed by the MP’s who tried to figure a way to solve the Sadrist problem. It was your typical session. ‘A’ speaks, ‘B’ interrupts, ‘C’ shouts at ‘B’, ‘D’ defends ‘B’, ‘E’ shouts at ‘D’ and ‘A’ ignores everyone and continues speaking. If I am watching a session with Iraqi friends, it is pure entertainment, if I am watching it with non-Iraqi friends, it is pure embarrassment.

Iraqis are unique when it comes to organization, it is simply not in our dictionary. If you pay close attention to 5+ Iraqi’s doing a simple task (i.e preparing dinner) you will begin to realise why the country is in such a mess and why they have trouble fixing it. Many Iraqis (and I have heard this from several taxi drivers in Najaf of all places) claim Saddam was good for Iraq because he knew how to control the people and that Iraq needs someone like Saddam to rule it again. Although they say this out of frustration, it says a lot about what they think of their own people.

Baha Al-A’raji, a senior Sadrist MP, waved the report in the air as if it was written by a 7 year old and claimed the report “does not account for even 10% of the truth, innocent civilians are dying and the government is destroying the city”. Another Sadrist MP said what is happening in Sadr City “has nothing to do with security, it is for political reasons only” that the government is attacking “civilians” in a move they believe is collective punishment for the residents of the Mehdi Army stronghold in Baghdad.

Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, the speaker, concluded that the best way forward is to have a meeting between representatives of the Prime Minister, President, Parliament and Sadr Movement to deal with their issues.

The Sadrist are not happy with this because they don’t want to be seen as the root cause of the problem and from today’s session I sensed some sort of denial on their behalf. They reject the idea that their militia are causing the problems in Iraq and blame everything on the government. “Yes there are some ‘outlaws’ in Sadr City but the majority of the people being hit are civilians, the government must stop the military campaign” Al-A’raji retorted. It’s funny to see him beg the government to stop the military campaign under the guise of “its attacking civilians” when just a few days ago he warned the government “we will be ready for war”.

The vast majority of MP’s voted in favour of Mashhadani’s suggestion and a delegation, one MP from each party, will be sent to represent the parliament.

Iyad Jamal Al-Deen

Yesterday I was invited by Iyad Jamal Al-Deen to his home in the affluent Karada district in central Baghdad. Despite living in a palace (which previously belonged to Izzat Ibrahim Al-Duri), we sat and had dinner in his 'mudheef', a traditional Arab reception house for guests made entirely from straw that is lined with cushions. His hospitality is well known in Baghdad; unlike other Iraqi politicians holed up in the Green Zone, his mudheef is open to guests who come from as far away as Basra and Amara to discus current affairs. Food, politics and a constant supply of black coffee is always on the menu.

It is not his expensive watches, designer sunglasses, Italian shoes and Cuban cigars that separate Jamal Al-Deen from your average Shia cleric. It is his secular beliefs. Although he is considered a liberal, open and moderate cleric by the west, he is considered extreme in the eyes of his fellow Najaf and Qum graduates who feel he is harming the religion. He however states “I call for secularism in order to protect this religion”.

His public praise of America and his calls to the Arab world to learn lessons from Israel is what raised the eyebrows of many conservative clerics, Sunni and Shia, around the world. As a secular Shia cleric he is vehemently against the idea of Wilayate Faqih, which is the foundation on which the Islamic Republic of Iran was built on. It is not only his life-style and secular beliefs which are frowned upon by his peers, it is his political alliance with Iyad Allawi, who heads the Iraqi National List, a group that consists of many former ba’athists.

We discussed many issues, including the militias, the new political front his list is heading and the MKO. Regarding the militias, Jamal Al-Deen confessed that he had advised Iyad Allawi to “either to create a militia of our own or disband the others” because “the most powerful political parties in Iraq are those with the most powerful militia”. The Americans would not allow the INA to have its own militia “but we should have created one anyway”.

In Najaf two days earlier, I had heard from another politician that Iyad Allawi was going to announce a new political front which consists of the Iraqi National List, Tawafuq Front, Fadhila Party and Sadr Movement. I was surprised because Allawi fought the Sadrists who despise him to this day for his attack on the Mehdi Army in Najaf in 2004. So I asked Jamal Al-Deen why Allawi wants to deal a dead card with the Sadrists in hopes of gaining political power to which he replied “This is not about the groups, we cannot have an alliance with them because our ideas are totally different with theirs, especially the Sadrists. The new front is open to individuals who wish to join our movement regardless from which party they belong to”.

I asked him if he had heard that the MKO had been declassified as a terrorist group by the British government. “Yes and the Americans will also follow shortly…God willing”. It was the “God willing” finish that surprised me. In May 1982 during the Iraq-Iran war Ayad Jamal Al-Deen was almost assassinated by the MKO in Iran. Three of his friends accompanied him on his way to visit Iraqi POW’s when MKO gunmen saw the clerics and riddled their car with bullets. His friends were killed instantly but Jamal Al-Deen survived. He played dead and lay in a pool of his own blood for several minutes before the gunmen, believing their targets had all been killed, fled.

It was because of this I bluntly asked him “Why God willing? Didn’t they try to kill you?”. He replied “Yes, but the Iranians must be punished for their support of militias in Iraq. An eye for an eye. We need to support the MKO, and I am their biggest supporter here in Iraq, and unleash them on Iranian soil if the Iranian government does not stop the funding and supply of weapons to militias in Iraq”.

In this case, my enemy who is an enemy of my enemy is also my friend. But it makes sense, maybe Tehran will think twice about exporting death to the streets of Baghdad when Baghdad starts to export death to the streets of Tehran.

Judaida

Today a life was almost taken needlessly in the Judaida district of Najaf, where I have been staying and where 3 out of 4 Grand Ayatollah's live. The security here is tight, cars are not allowed to enter the roads leading to any of the Grand Ayatollahs homes/offices and there is checkpoint after checkpoint. Judaida is the home of the 7th Battalion who are also known as the MPF (Marja'iya Protection Force). This is Najaf's Green Zone.

At 1:30am I heard some commotion outside the house, as I got to the window I heard the unmistakable sound of an AK-47 being cocked followed by shouts of "Drop your weapon!...surrender yourself!...shoot him!...shoot him now!". Less than a second later a single shot was fired. I went outside to see what had happened. I saw members of the MPF and armed locals who, like me, had come out in their PJ's standing around 2 civilians, both of whom were armed.

One of them, dressed in all-black (typical Mehdi Army uniform) had come strolling towards one of the MPF soldiers and caught him off-guard...he cocked his rifle, pointed it at his chest at almost point black range and started shouting "drop your weapon, surrender yourself!"...Someone else shouted "shoot him...shoot him now!". The soldier, having no time to load his own gun, simply lunged at the cocked rifle and tried to disarm the black-clad civilian, in the struggle, his finger caught the trigger and a shot was fired into the air. Then the second 'civilian' said "I am Colonel Mohammed, this is my bodyguard...this was a test...you failed".

The Colonel was outraged at how he and his armed bodyguard had managed to come this far into the heart of Judaida unchallenged, and baffled as to why the MPF soldier did not shoot his bodyguard. Enraged at the MPF he said "You can see he is armed, you can see he is a civilian, it is past 1am...we walked past 3 checkpoints and none of you challenged us, none of you asked us for ID...what the hell is going on?...when he said "drop your weapon" you should have shot him on the spot".

When the MPF soldier replied, with equal venom "You expect me to shoot someone I don’t know? He could be anyone, there are many plain-clothed guards in this area...He was right next to me, I could have ended this without blood-shed...I did...If I opened fire who will be responsible for his death?", the Colonel replied back "Are you crazy? I will! Look at what time it is, he is a civilian walking around with a Kalashnikov in one hand and a pistol strapped to his waist...you can see my pistol too...the second he cocked his rifle you should have gunned him down". Still fuming he turned around and walked off into the darkness with his bodyguard.

Although it is pretty obvious the Colonel would have identified hismelf if anyone had pointed their guns at him, and that they must have been wearing bullet-proof vests I couldn't help but admire the courage of the bodyguard (who could easily have been shot in the head) who risked his life to "test" the security in this sensitive area. Im sure in the morning the 7th Battalion will get an ear-full. The Colonel was right.

Sadr's Last Warning

Yesterday at around mid-night The Promised Day cultural foundation which belongs to Al-Sadr's office published a strong-worded statement from Moqtada.

He starts by addressing his "dear patient believers and warriors" and says "if you have mindful ears then listen to me, I say what I say hoping to clear my conscience in front of God and society".

To all the believers around the world out there (who cannot read Arabic)...this man clearly has something important to say if he wants to say it in order to clear a conscience that he does not have in the first place...so listen up good and pay close attention.

"I say, the nawasib [Sunnis] have ganged up on us from one side and we have not been able to rest from their [car] bombs, [suicide] belts, sectarian strife and their deceitful politics and statements the last of which came from one of their elders [Al-Qaida no.2]: [accusing me] That I follow Iran, but I do not follow except Iraq and my peoples will"

That’s right folks. He absolutely does NOT follow the Islamic Republic of Iran, but will only consider disbanding his militia if the religious authorities in Iraq AND Iran ask him to do so. Hehe he almost fooled me...

"and from the other side, we have the occupiers who have made us a target for their planes, tanks, rockets, mortars, snipers, and political trickery, who have recently have asked us to not stand against the Iraqi government which would not have existed if it wasn't for us - and if you are in doubt, ask the powerful religious forces - the occupiers have forgotten that it is their army not ours that is standing against [the government] so that it does not become independent with full sovereignty - which we wish it to become".

Lesson no.1: If any one wants to see their nation independent and sovereign it should seek to battle against its national army on the streets.

"Regardless of all that it is this government who (has forgotten the favours we did for them) that is the third party that has made the Sadrists a target for them, forgetting that we are their brothers, nay themselves"

Lesson no.2: If you do someone a favour and he/she forgets to return it, bitch about it all day long, go home to your mum, cry on her shoulders, and then order your men to fight. But when you seem to be unable to hack it, drop on your knees, beg for negotiations but most importantly...act cool.

"Which 'outlaws' do you [the government] mean? If you mean the representatives of M.B Al-Sadr and M.S Al-Sadr which your forces and militias have arrested with help from the American occupiers, then this is completely out of line with their methods. Or do you mean those who sacrifice their lives in order to kick out the occupier from our lands so that the government that was established under the occupation becomes independent and distanced from the occupiers views, politics and pressures"

I just love it when the Sadrists have a hissy-fit every time they hear the word "outlaws"...because they know better than everybody else who and what they are. Up to now (in the letter), Moqtada has done nothing but whine and complain, but this is where he starts taking a more threatening approach.

"Have you forgotten the first intifada in Najaf that became the reason for the formation of your government, or the second intifada that became the starting point for elections...Or do you want a third intifada? After all the Sadrists did for the people, here is your government fighting them and spilling their blood and arresting their families...I swear by God if it wasn’t for Imam Hussein's saying "Death is preferable to shame, and shame is preferable to hell fire" I would have known how to deal with you, but from a religious point of view this is my principle, that I do not kill Muslims be they Iraqi or other [nationality], governmental or military or civilian."

This is where we have to thank god that Moqtada is a Muslim. He has "principles" which do not allow him to shed Muslim blood. It makes you wonder after 5 years of bloodshed what would have happened if he was...a sikh maybe.

"especially after we froze the Mehdi Army and our efforts to end our armed image and we started handing out copies of the holy Quran as well as olive branches and turned to peaceful and legal protests and strikes and after all the negotiations and compromises in order to protect the image of your state, here you are showing pride and using the politics of Haddam (play on Saddam which means destroyer) and his followers. Who used to ban Friday prayers and close down the scholars offices and expels women and children and kills the elderly and youth using methods such as assassinations which he used to kill our leaders"

Again, thank the lord he was handing out copies of the Quran and olive branches for so long, God knows what would have happened to the state of Iraq if it wasn't for these noble and courageous deeds by these brave warriors.

"Now you try to ruin the reputation of our martyrs and I swear by God there is no hand that kills the scholars except the occupier and its followers who cause problems and spread lies through sites and channels. What have the followers of the Sadr family done wrong to deserve coming out of Saddam's oppression only to fall into the oppression of the occupier, its government, extremist Sunnis, sources of rumours, assassinations and politics that have come to us from behind our borders. Internal, foreign and international religious and political leaders have kept silent."

I ask, what have the Iraqi people done to deserve Sadr after Saddam.

"Our beloved Gaza has been besieged and everyone has kept silent and now [Sadr] City and Basra have been under siege and everyone kept silent. Where are Human Rights and where are the laws you want to spread in the name of freedom and democracy?"

I bet he wasn't thinking about human rights and the law when his followers were setting up court rooms complete with its own execution squad.

"Is their crime that they are part of the resistance?, which is honour and glory in this life and the next and the people will not compromise on their right to resist their enemy the occupiers in all their nationalities. We will declare 'war until freedom' if you do not change, I swear by God that the blood of free martyrs flows in our viens and God will accept it.

Or is their crime that they are part of a popular base that was unaffected by your politics and worldly struggles. They did not accept the partition of Iraq or the theft of its resources or the deals which legitimizes the occupier and not the Iraqi. They also [did not accept] the permanent camps and bases for the occupier in our lands, I am surprised, since when did the Islamic and national sense become a crime?"

Clearly, Moqtada has no problem with killing and bloodshed per se. Like many other Iraqi's, it is only when non-Iraqi's do the killing that he feels the urge to stand up against them. Even the Arab and Muslim world in general...they couldn't care less when Saddam was raping his country, but all of a sudden claimed it was their religious duty to resist the Americans in Iraq. Where was your 'religion' when Saddam was in power? Where was Sadr's Mehdi Army when Saddam was in power? Where was your 'Arab nationalism' when Saddam was raping the Arabs?

"How many times have we reached out to shake the hands of the Sunnis and Shia in Iraq, one time we prayed in the Abu Hanifa [sunni] mosque and another in the Buratha [SIIC] mosque."

I think only Abu Deri and his crew would know the exact number of times they reached out to their Sunni brothers.

"We defended the Iraqi minorities, the Christians, the Shabak, the Turkmen, the Chaldean's and others and we still [defend them]. Our reward [for this deed] was an attack on our Prophet and the visit by the Pope to occupier of our beloved Iraq forgetting about the injustice that befalls the Iraqi people, the majority and minorities. Forgetting the peoples needs, the poverty and lack of services and security"

I think now Moqtada is just taking the piss...his men, who are Shia Muslims continue to destroy Iraq and its people, but he expects a Catholic Christian to worry about Iraq. It reminds me of the difference in reaction in April 2003 when American troops stood a few hundred yards away from the holy shrine in Najaf, and in April 2004 when the shrine was hit by an RPG that was fired by the Mehdi Army. Complete outrage in April 2003 and complete silence in April 2004.

"I am giving the Iraqi government its last warning. Either change your ways and take a path of peace and stop the violence against the people or you will be like Saddam's government"

I wish there was a smart-ass Iraqi politician who could turn around to the Sadrists and say "If you think we are like Saddam's government, then please treat us like Saddam's government, hide behind your women and shut the f*** up".

"They [government] were our allies and could be so in the future because politics has no heart, but if you do not change and stop the militias we will declare an open war until freedom."

He ends his letter by thanking the religious Grand Ayatollahs for speaking out against the siege and condemns those who have kept silent and hopes they along with the Iraqi government demand for a timetable for withdrawal of foreign troops.

Moqtada Al-Sadr
19/4/2008

Abu Deri Back in Business

On Thursday Voices of Iraq reported that police in Kerbala have been distributing pictures of one of the most wanted criminals in Iraq. The pictures have been given primarily to the checkpoints in and around the city so officers can identify and immediately arrest "Abu Deri", who was a commander in the Mehdi Army. He has carried out so many terrible crimes in the capital that is was reported his personal bodyguards had been withdrawn by Al-Sadr. That means even amongst the many blood-thirsty criminals in the Mehdi Army this one man stands out. According to Iraqi intelligence, Abu Deri is now back in Iraq after spending several months in Iran.

I was visiting family in Qum when I first heard he was in Iran. Under the protection of Iranian intelligence he would travel from center to center and house to house re-telling his disturbing and twisted stories. I was invited by a friend to attend one of these gatherings but declined. I would rather stay at home and stare at a brick wall then be in the presence of this mass-murderer. When my friend came back he had lost some colour in his face and explained "I thought I was going to be hearing about what was done to captured terrorists, but now I feel sick". Abu Deri personally oversaw the cold-blooded torture and execution of innocent Sunni civilians killed mercilessly in Baghdad.

He would mention with pride the way he would kidnap civilians, torture and then set them on fire. Twice he used an ambulance (Health Ministry is under Sadrist control) to gather innocent civilians in A'dhamiya under the pretext of "giving blood to your brothers". Those poor civilians who went out of their way to give blood to their brothers had their lives taken. After being driven to parts of Baghdad under Sadrist control they were put to death. Some Abu Deri shot in the back of the head at point blank range, others had their throats slit and he laughed when he mentioned that "one guy...we just locked up and let him starve to death".

If Zarqawi were alive today, he would admire and respect the techniques used by this criminal. After the Sammara shrine was targeted by terrorists even Sistani could no longer restrain the angry Shia who wanted revenge. Abu Deri spearheaded many of these 'revenge' killings in Baghdad. Sunni Imams would often be dragged from their mosques along several streets and mutilated, fed to dogs or dumped in trash. Dozens of Sunni mosques were set on fire in Baghdad.

The Shia were not treated any better by Sunni terrorists but the sad thing about these tit-for-tat killings is that when the Sunni terrorists indiscriminately massacre innocent Shia civilians, the Shia terrorists respond by murdering innocent Sunni civilians. The terrorists stay alive and the civilians on both sides keep dying.

The murder case of Abdul Majid Al-Khoei is going to be opened again by the Iraqi government. Mowafaq Al-Rubai'i, the Iraqi National Security Adviser, spoke with a family member of Al-Khoei a few days ago and confirmed that the Iraqi government has plans to re-open the case which was closed by Ibrahim Al-Ja'fari. Ja'fari was in desperate need of Moqtada, who is the chief suspect in the murder and has an arrest warrant in his name, and his political clout in order to defeat his challenger Adel Abdul Mehdi in the prime-ministerial election that was held by the UIA. Ja'afri won 64 votes to 63.

For over a week now members of the Mehdi Army here in Najaf have been stockpiling weapons in a move that can mean nothing else but preparation for a show-down with Iraqi government forces.

The Sadr "museum" near the shrine and a mosque opposite the house of Mohammed Baqir Al-Sistani (the younger son of the Grand Ayatollah) in 'Hweish' also not far from the shrine are only two locations that have been used by the Mehdi Army to store weapons, which include RPG's and heavy machine guns. The weapons are being brought into the city via coffins of the Mehdi Army militia who have been killed in recent clashes with government forces. There are reports that the "museum" is also being used to stockpile food.

I just spoke to a well-placed source in Baghdad who says "its now or never, the government is serious about the militia problem, expect raids to be carried out in Najaf and Kerbala in the coming days". The Iraqi Army was supposed to carry out raids in Najaf searching for heavy weapons in suspected 'hot spots' but they were planned the day Riyadh Al-Noori was killed and were called off as a result.

The Deal...

I posted over two weeks ago about a deal that had been struck between the local government and the Sadr Movement. Today I read the first Arabic report that has confirmed this news. In an interview with Voices of Iraq, the Governor of Najaf, As'ad Abu Gilal had this to say about the security in Najaf.

"The security situation in Najaf is now very good and there has not been any breaches in security inside the city because of the new security plan and also because of coordination between the Governorate and Sadr Movement to keep Najaf secure".

Honour in Mutiny

Moqtada Al-Sadr yesterday released a statement explaining why the 1000+ police and soldiers mutinied in the recent clashes in Basra.

In the Name of God

The brothers in the Iraqi army and police who surrendered their weapons to their brothers [Mehdi Army] were obeying orders from their religious leaders and the Islamic school and did so with religion and nation in mind. This is something to be proud of in this life and the next. Whoever does a good dead will reap the rewards till the day of judgment.

So I call on the authorities concerned to review the decision to sack them and I demand for them to be reinstated after they are honoured for their obedience and loyalty to their religion and nation.

Moqtada Al-Sadr
14/4/2008

This fool does not want them to be simply returned, oh no...he wants the government to "honour" them because they switched sides in the middle of a battle and fought against the side they had sworn to protect.

The Letterٍٍ

When someone is killed, at least 5 different parties are accused and everyone starts talking about who is the more likely to have been behind the assassination.

In the case of Riyadh Al-Noori you only need to ask half a dozen locals to realise how far and wide the spectrum of possible killers has spread. Adnan Al-Ajeili, the head of the Security Committee at the Najaf Governorate (which is controlled by SIIC) announced that "special groups working with a foreign agenda" were behind the murder (Arabic link). Some noted the timing of the attack and suggested the family of Al-Khoei could have been behind the attack. Today, Zuhair Al-Kufi, the commander of a security squadron in the Mehdi Army stated that after initial investigation he concluded that "Al-Khoei's family had nothing to do with this and initial findings prove that SIIC and Badr carried out the assassination with the help of American forces" (Arabic link). Hadi Al-Ameri, the head of Badr, says the deceased was a "friend" and whoever was behind the murder wants to cause problems between SIIC and the Sadr Movement. Al-Sadr's office in Najaf blamed "US occupiers" for the murder.

Many accuse elements in the Mehdi Army who wanted to silence the "moderate" Al-Noori because he wished to see Sadr's military wing disbanded. Today an extremely damaging letter, that was written and signed by Al-Noori himself and dated just over a week before he was killed, has been circulating on the internet in which he attacks the Mehdi Army has shed more light on this issue.


The letter, which is addressed to Moqtada, speaks of the "dangerous and uncomfortable" times the Sadr Movement is going through that can be exploited by "enemies". He advices Moqtada that "strong and quick" decisions need to made to "protect" the Sadr Movement.

He says the corrupt forces which joined the Mehdi Army have found a base in which to control the army and these forces have committed "kidnappings, theft and murder" which has "negatively effected the national movement of your father". He then asks Moqtada to "take into account the following points":

1) The need to "cleanse" the Sadr Movement from these "corrupt forces" who have committed crimes in the name of the Sadr Movement and Mehdi Army.

2) Internal, regional and international pressure makes us "think seriously about disbanding the Mehdi Army". "The recent events in Basra and other provinces has had a negative impact" on our national support and we hope to see you "disband the army quickly" to "protect your fathers movement".

Riyadh Al-Noori wrote the letter twice. One was sent to Moqtada Al-Sadr and the second copy given to a close relative. After handing him the letter he explained "I have done what I could but I know they will kill me".

To be or not to be...

If you thought Moqtada was a confusing cleric-cum-politician who orders his army to fight and stand down as often as he brushes he teeth you should take a closer look at Iraqi and American policy towards him. They are just as confusing as Sadr himself.

Malaki first says he will accept nothing less than the surrender of weapons in Basra and then the next day he calls off operations after Sadr ordered his men to stop fighting (they did not surrender their weapons). He first gave them an ultimatum they had 72 hours to comply with...then he extends that for days...he then tries to encourage them to "sell" their weapons, but that plan fails too.

Yes, I understand that it was the Mehdi Army who begged for negotiations because they were getting a good hiding by the Iraqi army, but that only proves that PM Malaki had the upper hand. Why settle for anything less than their complete surrender? If you want to fight, do it properly. If you want to negotiate, do it properly. The Basra operation was not a failure, on the contrary, the Mehdi Army were taught a lesson or two, but Malaki could have come out stronger.

It seemed that even the top Iraqi politicians were afraid to point their fingers at Sadr or his Mehdi Army. Dabbagh & Malaki repeatedly claimed they are not targeting Al-Sadr's militia even though it is clear even to the citizens of no-mans land that the fight was and still is between the Mehdi Army and Iraqi government.

Everyday its a different story. Yesterday Malaki turned again and warned Sadr that he faces a possible ban in the elections if he does not dissolve his army and Baghdad has become the new Basra. Today Ali Al-Dabbagh claimed "We will continue until we secure Sadr City. We will not come out, we will not give up until the people of Sadr City have a normal life,". Don't be surprised if he completely contradicts himself within the next few days. All the Mehdi Army have to do is keep a low profile for a few days, Iraqi government forces retreat, and bingo...they will have Sadr City firmly within their control...again.

Its not just the Iraqis. The Americans seem to be suffering from the same disease. General Petraeus and Crocker do not consider Sadr as the enemy. Thats right, the man who has on numerous occasions fought and killed US soldiers is not an enemy of the US and not only is his movement "legitimate" but also "a respected movement, a nationalist movement, and one that is known for having reached out over the years to the poor and downtrodden." If I could reach out to Petraeus I would tell him that the Americans are 'infidel occupiers' and nothing they can do (aside from abandoning Iraq) will stop them from being the "enemy" of Al-Sadr.

Moqtada seemed unimpressed by the American gesture and denounced them in a fiery statement that said the US "will always" be his enemy "till the last drop of blood". How embarrassing. The US says he isn't an enemy, has a legitimate and well-respected political body and the next day Moqtada slaps them. The US needs to learn from Chamberlain's disastrous policy of appeasing Hitler in the 1930's and realise that the sooner they deal with these Iranian-supported criminals the better. Ok, so maybe the comparison is unfair but Sadr, like Hitler, is a maniac. Offer him Czechoslovakia and he takes Poland.

Updated: Riyadh Al-Noori Six Feet Under

Police and National Guards are all over the place, shops are closed and there is hardly any non-military movement in the city. Just a few hours ago a top Sadrist was gunned down after he returned to his home in the 'Adala' district of Najaf after completing Friday prayers. As he got out of his car gunmen already waiting for him opened fire killing him on the spot. What makes this assassination spectacular is that Riyadh Al-Noori is a high ranking Sadrist and has many armed-to-the-teeth bodyguards. The intelligence, timing and accuracy of the assassination was nothing short of perfect. The gunmen were able to flee the scene so easily that is has raised doubts that it could have been an inside job.

His body is being prepared now for burial in the 'Al-Zahra' mosque next to the Najaf garage and his supporters will march towards the shrine carrying his body.

Riyadh Al-Noori had a bad history. He was a cleric and one of Moqtada's closest aides. At one point Moqtada took refuge in his home when he feared for his life during clashes with Iraqi government forces and the Americans. Riyadh Al-Noori set up and maintained the "Islamic court" that once terrorized the people of Najaf. Often innocent civilians would be summoned by this court, tried and executed. One of the offices of this so-called "Islamic court" was only found because the stench of corpses led the Iraqi police to an underground cell where over 20 civilians were found on the floor, many of them killed with a single bullet to the head. A women was found half-naked and her skull had been drilled (using an electric driller) from one side to the other.

Riyadh Al-Noori was also one of the masterminds behind the April 2003 assassinations of Sayyid Abdul Majid Al-Khoei and Sayyid Hayder Al-Rufai'i. He was even jailed by the Iraqi police but was later released on the orders of PM Ja'fari. Sheikh Yassir Al-Modhafar, another Sadrist with an arrest warrant to his name for the murder of Al-Khoei and Al-Rufai'i was gunned down a few weeks ago in exactly the same way. Unknown gunmen waited for him outside his home and when they saw him, they opened fire, killing him instantly. I am predicting that the next Sadrist to be gunned down will be Sheikh Ahmad Al-Shaybani.


12/4/2008 UPDATES:

• According to his neighbours, two young teenagers (17-19 years of age) opened fire as he got out of his car and approached them. They used pistols and not AK-47's as was previously believed.
• Al-Noori was not surprised when he saw them and approached them before they opened fire, showing no sign of resistance, indicating that he knew who they were.
• His bodyguards never fired a single shot in his defence.
• Recently Al-Noori had many differences with Al-Sadr regarding his Mehdi Army, which Al-Noori wished to see dissolved and he gradually became isolated as a consequence.
• He was threatened many times previously by Ahmad Al-Shaybani, a fierce supporter of the Mehdi Army and many people are now accusing him of ordering the murder.

p.s The letter from Moqtada Al-Sadr condemning the murder was dated one day before the actual murder. I thought it was a typo but when I turned the paper around and saw the hand-written version, it was the same. Go figure.

The Sadrists: Riyadh Al-Noori (right) & Awn Al-Nabi Al-Mousawi

Riyadh Al-Noori before burial

Guess Who's Back?...Back Again

Moqtada Al-Sadr has allegedly arrived yesterday night "secretly" to Iraq and is now in his home in the Hannana district of Najaf.

It has been the talk of the day here in restaurants and coffee shops but today I was introduced by a mutual friend to an officer in the Ministry of Interior who confirmed the reports. I wanted to go to look out for any unusual activity around his house but the street leading to his home was blocked off by IP's who wouldn't give us a straight answer as to why we are not allowed through.

An official spokesmen for the Iranian Foreign Ministry has for the first time condemned attacks on the Green Zone yesterday and praised PM Malaki for tackling "illegal armed groups" in Basra. Could this be a turn around in Iranian foreign policy and possibly give them a card to play when talks with the Americans continue in Baghdad? Did Moqtada Al-Sadr really leave Iran because he missed Iraq or was he given the boot by Tehran? God damn I wish I had the answers.

When Mr Hosseini says "There is a difference between such groups [illegal] and those who were active in the political scene in Iraq," what he really means is "There is a difference between groups we do not supply and fund and groups that we do supply and fund".

There are also reports that Moqtada is ill, it was clear to everyone who saw him on the Al-Jazeera interview that he has lost a considerable amount of weight and that has got everyone talking about his health. Depending on who you ask he is either having mental problems (and is taking medication; the reason for his sudden loss of weight) or he was poisoned by someone close to him. In any case...aww bless.

“There is no God but Allah, and Maliki is the enemy of Allah”

Today in the afternoon, at least 10 coffins were brought to the Imam Ali Shrine to be blessed and buried in the city. The coffins carried the bodies of Mehdi Army militia who had been killed by Iraqi security forces in Basra. Around 10 Sadrists accompanied each coffin to the shrine and as they entered they all praised Moqtada. It is Iraqi custom to chant “There is no God but Allah” dozens of times as the coffin is being carried. In today’s case, every chant was quickly followed by “Maliki is the enemy of Allah”.

In the past few days in Najaf, we have witnessed a tremendous increase in the amount of National Guards in the city and closer to the shrine, an increase in the amount of police commandos. As the coffins were brought out of the shrine they were taken to be “blessed” again around the office of Al-Sadr which is located right opposite the shrine and as they left, the people carrying the coffins would openly insult, taunt and swear at the police who guard every street leading towards the shrine.

It was obvious to everyone witnessing this scene that the dirty (the literal sense of the word) Sadrists wanted to provoke the security forces who were present. The police had orders to stand down and ignore the mini-protest but it got to the point where the Sadrists would insult the sisters and mothers of the police officers (a no-go area in Iraqi culture) and when the police commander in charge sensed that his men were seconds away from retaliating (possibly violently) he took the loudspeaker of his Ford pick-up truck and shouted at his men “anyone who responds will be counted as one of them (Sadrists)”.

After that, the police and everyone around them completely ignored the Sadrists and simply regarded them as stray dogs. After more praising of Moqtada and cursing of Malaki, an old man, probably around 60 years of age, after hearing the chant “and Malaki is the enemy of Allah” shouted “no…you are the enemies of Allah”. He was quickly taken away by the police for his own protection.

Here in Najaf, we were expecting a mass march this Wednesday organized by the Sadr Movement “against the occupation” (9th April to coincide with the 5th anniversary of the fall of Baghdad) but the security forces warned that the cities’ borders will be locked down and so the march will be held in Baghdad with smaller protests expected in the south.

Iran's Influence in Basra

According to Mohsin al-Hakim, the son and advisor of Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, it was Iran who helped the Iraqi government negotiate with the militias in Basra that led to a statement by Moqtada al-Sadr ordering his Mehdi Army to stop fighting. This is yet another clear indication that Iran has strong influence with the militias in Iraq. It seems Iran is happy to support any maniac with a gun and it has become clear that Iran can cause havoc in Iraq when ever it wants and help calm things down when ever it wants. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the mess in Basra came at the same time as the Damascus summit where Arab leaders met to discuss Lebanon, another country where Iran wields a tremendous amount of influence through its pawn Hasan Nasrallah. Its ironic how both Nasrallah and Sadr come across as nationalist and loyal to their respective countries and yet when Iran says jump, they say “How high?”.

Mohsin al-Hakim is indicating that Iran's ties to Iraq are not limited to the occasional ‘courteous’ visits by its various military and political leaders and that it has a say in the country and especially in the south. It is the negative influence Iran has on Iraq that is worrying everybody. The US Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, claims that many of bombs targetting the Green Zone were manufactured in 2007 in Iran.

The SIIC leadership since their arrival to Iraq have tried to distance themselves from Iran. I emphasize on the word "tried" because SIIC (previously SCIRI) was not only founded and supported by Iran but its military wing, the Badr Brigade (now Badr Organization) was trained by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. I met the SIIC leader, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, in his party headquarters outside the Green Zone in Baghdad just a few days before the situation exploded in Basra and was surprised at his stance against Iran when he was referring to the neighbouring countries as being the cause of most of Iraq’s problems. As the saying goes, no permanent friends...just interests.

The Deal

Last Friday members of the Sadr Movement met with the Governor of Najaf As'ad Albu Gilal in the Sadr Movement's 'political branch' office in Hannana (the office is located right opposite the place where Moqtada's father and brothers were gunned down almost a decade ago). During the meeting a deal was struck between the Governorate and Sadrists that no matter what happens in the rest of the country, they (Mehdi Army) will not bring their troubles to Najaf. I passed by Hannana on Friday and for the first time since I arrived in Najaf I saw members of the Mehdi Army, four or five of them were dressed in smart beige suits (which came as a surprise) carrying AK-47's, guarding the entrance of the office.

The Mehdi Army in promising to stay calm in Najaf have benefited because no matter what happens in the rest of Iraq, they will always have a safe haven in Najaf/Kufa. As'ad Albu Gilal on the other hand is also a winner because regardless of the situation in Baghdad, Basra, Kut or Nassiriya...Najaf will not burn under his watch.

Elsewhere in Iraq, and by Iraq I actually mean Iran, it seems that Moqtada has finally been forced to kneel and accept the fact that continuing the fight in Basra would mean the end of his criminal gang. Whats surprising about the statement he has issued (declaring himself 'innocent' of anyone who fights the government) is that only days ago his office in Najaf denied 'rumours' that he has asked his army to step down. So after hundreds of lives have been lost, it finally dawned on Muqtada that in order to "protect Iraqi blood" he has to order his army to drop their weapons.

Today, General Abdul Karim Khalaf, the head of the National Command Center, announced that within the last 24 hours Iraqi forces in Basra have managed to kill 105 insurgents and arrest 31. That brings the total number of deaths (Mehdi Army & co.) since the start of the fighting in Basra to 320 deaths, 600+ injuries and 186 arrests. General Khalaf also assured that there is not a single neighbourhood in Basra that is not under the control of the Iraqi security forces and that they can be present instantly in any part of Basra.