With the U.S. military gone, Iran is the new enemy for Iraq insurgents
Agence France-Presse Apr 11, 2012 – 11:05 AM ET
AFP files
Iraqi men sort through the debris after a suicide bomber set off an explosives-packed car near a funeral procession in the predominately Shi’ite neighbourhood of Zafraniyah in Baghdad on January 27, 2012. At least 31 people were killed in the capital’s deadliest day in a month, amid a political crisis that has stoked tensions.
- BAGHDAD — Sunni insurgents who battled American soldiers in Iraq until their long-time enemy withdrew last year have turned their wrath on a new target: Shi’ite Iran.
The fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime on April 9, 2003, the dissolution of the Iraqi army and ruling Baath party and the rise to power of Shi’ites after 80 years of Sunni domination, buoyed Iraqi and Arabi jihadists.
Four months after most U.S. troops left Iraq, the jihadists had to find a new reason to sustain their continued presence — enter Iran and the Shi’ite-led Iraqi regime.
“Armed groups always need to find an enemy in order to justify their existence,” said Hamid Fadel, a professor of political science at Baghdad University. (end of article)
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*.….….….….….….….“Al-Sadr has two potent oppoadnents — the Kurds and Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim, the ldaeer of SCIRI. If these two politadiadcal groups should join forces with Allawi and the Sunadnis, an entirely new politadiadcal sitaduadaadtion could emerge.“.….….….….….….……On March 13, Ali at A Free Iraqi proadvided an account of the diviadsions between Hakim and Sadr, based on reports in the Arab media. Ali’s report of Sadr threatadenading Hakim and memadbers of the UIA meshes with Dr. Raphaeli’s stateadment that Sadr threatadened to incite a civil war if Jaaadfari was not selected as Prime MinisterShe’at [Shiadite] sources conadfirmed to Al-Watan that “Al-Hakeem comadplained to Sisadtani that he’s being under presadsure from Iran and has been receivading threats from the Sadr trend of incitading chaos and vioadlence in case Ja’fari was replaced by Adil Abdil Mehdi” Claradiadfyading that “Sadr made direct threats through a phone call to Al-Hakeem that he would kill all women memadbers in the UIA and leadaders in the SCIRI if Abdil Mehdi replaced Ja’fari”. Accordading to the same sources “Iran replaced it’s strateadgic alliance with Al-Hakeem by one with Sadr who visadited it last month” Announcading “His miliadtias’ readiadness to defend Iran in case it was attacked by the US” and pointed out that ” His supadportaders started intimadiaddatading acts against the British forces in Basra proadvoked by the Revadoadluadtionadary Guard inteladliadgence staadtioned in the city who finance and superadvise those militias”.Sadr, and by default Iran’s influadence in Iraq, is now being taradgeted for. Again, the strike against Sadr’s miliadtia in Hayy Ur should be viewed as an openading act to defang the miliadtias, cleave off supadport of Sadr’s facadtion within the UIA, and check Iran’s influadence within Iraq. reply as needed…