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| Iraq |
| Standoff enters second day in Karbala |
| 2003-10-15 |
| Shiite Muslim factions in the holy city of Karbala were negotiating to try to end a tense standoff at a mosque where followers of firebrand cleric Moqtada Sadr took at least eight hostages, a police source said Wednesday. "They are negotiating about the situation at al-Mukhaiyam mosque," the police source said. Sadr’s Mehdi Army militia clashed Tuesday with followers of senior Iraqi cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani after his group attempted to seize two of the most revered shrines in Shiite Islam, the mausoleums of the seventh-century leaders Abbas and Hussein. Tried to bite off more than he could chew. At least one person was killed and 24 others wounded in the clashes. About 15 of Sadr’s people then retreated to the city’s al-Mukhaiyam mosque, where they were surrounded by Iraqi police, civilians and a US-backed protection force for holy site. Angry turbaned mob with torches and pitchforks. Coalition forces said eight people had been taken hostage inside the mosque. Page 23 in your "Standoff’s For Dummies" handbook. The top US military commander General Ricardo Sanchez visited Karbala late Tuesday and met with police chief General Abbas Fadl Abud, who recommended the coalition let the Iraqis negotiate a peaceful end to the confrontation at the al-Mukhaiyam mosque. "You want to let us handle this hot potato?" "OK" A peaceful solution also looked possible as Sadr scrapped plans Wednesday for an Islamic-style government he had announced last week in the aftermath of clashes that left two US soldiers and two Iraqi Shiites dead in Baghdad’s Sadr City, his stronghold of support. "Until now there have been no demonstrations of public support for this government, and as a result, I cannot create it," he told Al-Arabiya satellite news channel. Translation - "Oops, I grabbed for power too soon." |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #10 SAIRI is the Hakim family business. It'll be awhile before they run out of them. |
| Posted by: Fred 2003-10-15 8:34:26 PM |
| #9 "Evidently hes losing ground to Sistani, Hakim and the governing council (and, implicitly, to the Americans) So he gambled." Um... I may be misremembering the names but isn't Hakim the guy that was murdered with a bomb a while ago? Anyway, from what I've read, Sadr does seem to be one of the harshest Islamofascists currently in Iraq, so let's hope you are right and he's indeed losing power... |
| Posted by: Aris Katsaris 2003-10-15 5:20:12 PM |
| #8 Especially sick with that Massive Head Wound Harry routine they do. Even to to kids. Picture you cutting your own little boy for the head wound bleeding. Now you get the picture. It's not cultural, it's bloody sick. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-10-15 3:29:09 PM |
| #7 Sadr is young. Soon to be young and dead. The other religious leaders have tolerated him because he is a front for Iran, and out of respect for his family, but he's been marked for a while. Being a Shia sucks. The sect was formed out of a military defeat, and all its holy men are martyrs and all its holidays commorate somebody's martyrdom. They've never won a war, get their butts kicked regularily, and the other 80% of Moslems in the world consider them herectical nuts. |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2003-10-15 1:54:09 PM |
| #6 insane or desperate. Word is his demonstrations are attracting smaller crowds. Evidently hes losing ground to Sistani, Hakim and the governing council (and, implicitly, to the Americans) So he gambled. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-10-15 1:47:39 PM |
| #5 Hussein was Fatima's kid. Big wheel, big deal martyr killed at the battle of Ashura. Hint: if you want to piss off every Shia on the planet, just go mess with that shrine. al-Sadr's obviously insane. |
| Posted by: mojo 2003-10-15 11:23:34 AM |
| #4 .Yeap,sounds like Iraq's version of"A good ol' boy"needs to bust a cap on his ass |
| Posted by: Raptor 2003-10-15 11:11:24 AM |
| #3 I'll have to look this up in my "Encyclopedia of Muslim Holy Places". I'm up to Volume 65 and should soon be through the ones that begin with "B"... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-10-15 10:55:19 AM |
| #2 Sounds like Sadr's hands may be dirty regarding some of the other crap that's been going on in Karbala and the surrounding area. Perhaps the Iraqi people need to whack this dude early, rather than let him get too deeply situated. Yesterday sounds about right. People who demand power and respect usually do so because they don't deserve it. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-10-15 10:21:17 AM |
| #1 "Until now there have been no demonstrations of public support for this government, and as a result, I cannot create it," he told Al-Arabiya satellite news channel. It's highly doubtful that a lack of support is going to put an end to the guy's ambitions. Standard operating procedure here is to pull back and wait for another opportunity to try again. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-10-15 10:18:39 AM |