Year Four of Iraq Civil War: 51 Killed
AP reports that guerrilla violence in Iraq killed 51 on Friday. In addition to bombings and drive-by shootings, police discovered 25 bodies, killed execution-style, in Kadhimiyah and Binok districts. (Kadhimiyah is largely Shiite). AP adds, "The rising death toll among Iraqis on Friday included five worshippers killed in a bombing outside a Sunni Muslim mosque after Friday prayers. At least 15 were wounded in the blast in Khalis, northeast of Baghdad."
The bomb blast outside a Sunni mosque is especially disturbing, since it fits a pattern of recent escalation in Sunni-Shiite sectarian violence. This week, over a dozen Shiite pilgrims were killed in Sunni areas of the capital, on their way to and from the holy city of Karbala.
A Danish soldier was killed in the south, and two US troops were killed by guerrillas in Anbar province.
AFP/ Al-Zaman report that the Iraq political blocs in parliament failed in their Friday discussions to agree on the powers and constitutionality of a "national security council." The mechanism of such a national security council has been used in Pakistan and Turkey to circumscribe the power of elected politicians in parliament. But in both of those countries there is a strong military, unlike Iraq. Why elected members of parliament would agree to such an institution is obscure, and, indeed, they may not in the end.
posted by Juan Cole @ 3/25/2006 12:39:00 AM
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It has always intrigued me as to how the West (well, just the U.S., really) has such a venomous dislike for the Vilayat-e-Fakih, but is quite comfy with the Siyasat-e-Jaish in Pakistan and Turkey - with five generations of Mustafa Kemal's Young Turks having served a long tenure as stalwarts of “Western” Civilization... Unless, of course, we consider their arming of the Turkish Hezbollah to kill Turkish Kurds…
And, of course, far be it for the Bushiites to realize how their own homophobia, anti-feminism and xenophobia are a mirror image of the very fundamentalists they despise. Their argument, of course, is that they don’t fly airplanes into skyscrapers. But are there ANY skyscrapers in Afghanistan?
This is one for sticking up your noses. President Bush and your neo-cons HAD IT IN THEIR HEADS THAT DEMOCRACY IS WHAT THE IRAQI PEOPLE CRAVED FOR and that on the approach of Americans GI "LIBERATORS" an avenue of Iraqi VIRGINS WILL LINE THE STREETS OF BAGHDAD to welcome the Americans but then tell me did in fact welcomed you ?
Amir Taheri in Sharq al Awsat says:
"It is a mystery why Washington wants to give Tehran a place at the high table in Iraq . It is certain that the Islamic Republic will continue doing whatever it can to make life difficult for the US-led coalition. The supply of new and more lethal explosives, smuggled into Iraq from Iran , partly via Syria is unlikely to dry up. Nor is Tehran likely to end the training programmes launched by its Lebanese Hezbollah clients for Iraqi militants.
The decision to involve Iran in Iraqi affairs is likely to anger the United States regional allies who have never discounted the possibility of an Irano -American deal that might leave them in the lurch. The Arab states will also be concerned about the possibility of Iraq’s Arab identity being diluted as a result of Iranian intervention.
The US may have made this strange move because of the experiment in Afghanistan where talks with Iran did help speed up the defeat of the Taliban and the creation of a new regime in Kabul .
But Iraq is not Afghanistan if only because it offers far more scope for Iranian mischief-making. The invitation to Iraq is also likely to encourage Iran in its defiance of the United Nations on the nuclear issue. After all if Iran is treated as a major power in one domain it cannot be “bullied” as a weakling in another.
Has the Bush administration made its first major mistake with regard to Iraq ? It is too early to tell. But this decision may be even worse than a mistake; it may be unnecessary. And, as Talleyrand noted almost 200 years ago, in politics doing something that is not necessary is worse than making a mistake."
First major mistake? Dear God!
I wonder just who has got really scared?
We await further developments with interest.
Hear is a NY Times report that puts the "not our problem" part of the Iraq carnage in graphic perspective.
The Bush brain trust has a great deal of difficulty dealing militarily with anything other than Sunni guerillas and al Qaeda in Iraq (or anyone that appears related). And non-military actions like greasing palms and building schools don't have much impact on the violence.
Thus the Shiite/Kurd/common criminal free pass to do their violent thing without the burden of having to watch their backs.
Bush is caught in his own rhetorical traps and can't escape.
As Colbert said, all the best wars last four years. So, we're out by early 2007 -- even if the PreZiDent says otherwise.
Khalilzad in action?
Here it goes, Kurdish Iraqi official blasts the Arabs for the lack of support against Iran. The idea must come from Khalilzad, and we can only mourn this vicious blindness.
AJ. Iraq FM slams Arab stand
Iraq's Shia leaders have frequently expressed bitterness over Arab states' slowness in showing support for the country's new leadership, suggesting the Arab League - whose 22 members are majority Sunnis - is biased towards Iraq's Sunni minority, which enjoyed power during the rule of ousted leader Saddam Hussein.
But the strong criticism was striking coming from Zibari, a Kurd who as foreign minister has played the role of point man with Arab nations.
During Saturday's meetings, some Arab officials expressed concerns over Iran's influence in Iraq and complained about planned meetings between US and Iranian officials aimed at stabilising Iraq, Zibari said.
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