Informative article from Mohamed Bazzi for Newsday. Where the hell are the Americans? If they let this small radical group kill all of these Muslim leaders, it will make it very difficult to avoid rebellion against American troops. It is anyone's guess what the facts really are at this point. Some say the siege has been lifted, some say it has only just begun. This account seems credible, but who knows:
Posted by Mike at April 14, 2003 01:56 PM | TrackBack
Al-Mahri said dozens of people wielding guns and knives began converging on al-Sistani's home early yesterday morning. He said several aides and family members were inside the house with al-Sistani. The grand ayatollah was also joined by another senior cleric, Sayed Muhammad Saeed al-Hakim.The presence of al-Hakim in the al-Sistani home indicates support from one of the leading Shiite families in Iraq. Al-Hakim is a nephew of Ayatollah Muhammad Bakr al-Hakim, a leading Iraqi Shiite cleric who has lived in exile in Iran for more than 20 years.
Ayatollah Al-Hakim, 63, leader of Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, had planned to return to Najaf within days, but aides say he had delayed his return because of al-Khoei's killing.
"Ayatollah al-Hakim is very disturbed by the events in Najaf. He is working to resolve the siege of Ayatollah al-Sistani's home," said Abu Islam al-Saqir, a senior aide in Iran's capital, Tehran. "This situation in Najaf could threaten the future of Shiite leadership."