Saturday, July 10, 2004
Najaf and the Sadrists again
Today's paper suggests that we have been too optimistic about the retreat of the Sadrists into participation in the regular election process. They have said they would, but they also continue to say the opposite. A report from Najaf finds that the shrine of the Imam Ali and the surrounding area are under the complete control of Moqtada al-Sadr and his forces. To hear them tell it, his people are literally dying to be martyrs for Moqtada. At the same time, the lucrative pilgrimage business in the area has ground to a halt. Najaf's governor and the new administration seem as buffaloed by this as the situation in Falluja. The governor insists he needs an agreement from the Mahdi Army to disband, but at the same time he believes trying to arrest Sadr would entail too high a risk of an fanatical reaction. Stay tuned.
Today's paper suggests that we have been too optimistic about the retreat of the Sadrists into participation in the regular election process. They have said they would, but they also continue to say the opposite. A report from Najaf finds that the shrine of the Imam Ali and the surrounding area are under the complete control of Moqtada al-Sadr and his forces. To hear them tell it, his people are literally dying to be martyrs for Moqtada. At the same time, the lucrative pilgrimage business in the area has ground to a halt. Najaf's governor and the new administration seem as buffaloed by this as the situation in Falluja. The governor insists he needs an agreement from the Mahdi Army to disband, but at the same time he believes trying to arrest Sadr would entail too high a risk of an fanatical reaction. Stay tuned.
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