August 25, 2003
Sadr tries to take out Hakim?
Reuters definitely has the scoop on this one:
Thousands of angry Shi'ite Muslims, many vowing revenge, thronged the streets of the Iraqi holy city of Najaf on Monday for the funerals of three men killed in a bomb attack that wounded a top cleric.Ayatollah Mohammed Saeed al-Hakim, who was slightly injured in Sunday's bombing, is the uncle of the leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), criticized by some Shi'ites for cooperating with the U.S.-led occupation....
In Najaf, many in the crowd of at least 2,000 blamed the attack on supporters of rival leader Moqtada al-Sadr who has condemned the U.S. occupation. His group has denied involvement.
"This was Moqtada al-Sadr. His people did it," said 60-year- old Muslim Raadi, as he followed the procession of three wooden coffins. "Now there will be revenge. The only way to stop this is for the people of Najaf to stop it. We will have to form our own militia."
SCIRI, led by Ayatollah Mohammed Baqer al-Hakim, is represented on the U.S.-backed Iraqi Governing Council, which Washington calls a first step toward democracy.
The attack took place near the Imam Ali mosque, tomb of Ali, a caliph and cousin of the Prophet Mohammed, and the most sacred Shi'ite site in Islam. Ten people were wounded by the bomb, which left glass and debris strewn across Hakim's office.
Now consider this story from Khilafah.com. Go there and read the whole thing:
The extent of the cooperation remains unclear between Ahmed Kubeisi, a Sunni cleric from a prominent clan in western Iraq, and Moqtada Sadr, the 30-year-old son of a revered Shiite ayatollah assassinated in 1999. But ideologically and practically, it represents a convergence of interests between the two figures, who were left out of the Iraqi Governing Council named last month and, in their own communities, have emerged as influential if still minority voices of opposition to the four-month-old occupation.Supporters of the two clerics acknowledged cooperation, but denied there was any financial support....
Kubeisi, a charismatic speaker and respected religious scholar, enjoys support in conservative Sunni regions as a political and spiritual leader. Since the fall of the Sunni-led Baath Party, he has emerged as one of a handful of figures seeking to speak on behalf of the Sunni community, which has been left largely leaderless and adrift since the war.
The senior official said reports of financial support from Kubeisi to Sadr -- widely circulating among Iraqi officials -- came from U.S. intelligence in Iraq. According to one report, Kubeisi provided Sadr with $50 million, though the official cautioned that it was "unevaluated intelligence."
"He's getting a lot of money from Sunnis. I can't put a figure on it, but it's really a lot of money," he said.
Maj. Rick Hall, the executive officer of the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, said the support was confirmed to him by Iraqi sources, though he had no specific figure. He called the reports "very reliable."
"We feel very confident" that Sadr had meetings with Kubeisi and "we believe reports we are told are true, reports of him receiving financing," Hall said at the Marines' base in Najaf, one of Iraq's holiest Shiite cities.
A senior official with the 25-member Governing Council, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the financing as "100 percent true" and said it was common knowledge among Iraqi politicians and parties on the council.
U.S. officials declined to say where the money was coming from, but the Iraqi official said he believed it came from private individuals in the Persian Gulf, whose conservative, Sunni Muslim states have viewed with anxiety the prospect of a Shiite-dominated government in neighboring Iraq. By supporting the most radical Shiite elements, he said, they hope to prevent a united Shiite front in the contest for postwar power.
My emphasis added. As you can see, this would imply that the Iranians are our alllies, because they back Hakim whose SCIRI is on the US appointed governing council. On the other hand, the Saudis are paying millions to Sunnis and others who are plotting against us. Wait a minute, I thought the Saudis were our close allies and the Iranians our sworn enemies? I must not be understanding this? Ah, the key to the puzzle. Oil. The Saudis have it, the Iranians don't. (Neither have any respect for free speech or human rights, but that's another story). Bottom line, we are caught in the middle of a high stakes, bloody, international feud between the Sheiks and the Ayatollahs. Both of whom are desparately afraid of losing power by appearing vulnerable to a popular uprising. How many more times will the call to give the UN a leading role, and provide some legitimacy to the process of rebuilding Iraq, go unheeded? Before it is too late?