A Famouser Victory
The story evolves. Now it’s “American helicopters and tanks” that “backed” the Iraqi security forces involved. Still there are supposed to be 250 bodies, “most” of them insurgents or militants or whatever. Interestingly, the force size is now reported to range from 100-600. If it’s the low number, that’s some good shooting to kill 250 guys.
Meanwhile the identity of the enemy forces are still in question:
But two senior Shiite clerics said the gunmen were part of a Shiite splinter group that Saddam Hussein helped build in the 1990s to compete with followers of the venerated Shiite religious leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. They said the group, calling itself the Mehwadiya, was loyal to Ahmad bin al-Hassan al-Basri, an Iraqi cleric who had a falling out with Muhammad Bakr al-Sadr — father-in-law of the Shiite leader Moktada al-Sadr — in Hawza, a revered Shiite seminary in Najaf.
The clerics spoke on condition of anonymity because they said they had been ordered not to discuss Shiite divisions.
I don’t have time right now to figure out of “al-Hassan al-Basri” and “al-Hassani” are the same guy or not.
Comment by Hesiod —
January 29, 2007 @ 8:57 am
al-Basri is accused of being on the Iranian payroll, and of beiung a prime conduit for IED’s into Iraq.
At least accoirding to an outfit called the National Council of Resistance of Iran. It’s probably the Iranian counterpart of the Iraqi National Congress. They are sort of a self-created Government in exile, who’s President is a woman named Myryam Rajavi. [It is -- interstingly -- classified as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S.]
In any case, here’s what they say about al-Basri:
“An individual by the name of Ahmad Sami Abdol-Majid Alhalali, also known as Abu Majed Al-Basri, with an Iranian name of Ahmad Helali, is currently in charge of Iraqis stationed in Shalamcheh border. He is a veteran member of the IRGC in Iran and of the Qods Force. His personnel code in the Qods payroll list is 1202 and his monthly salary is 2,407,261 Rials.
Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) are the primary types of weapons transferred at this border crossing.
In coordination with Fajr garrison, other weapons and ammunitions are transferred to Iraq through Bostan, Howizeh and Hour-al Azim border crossing in Missan province.”
Comment by Alex —
January 29, 2007 @ 9:37 am
Reuters:
“NAJAF, Iraq, Jan 29 (Reuters) – The leader of an Iraqi cult who claimed to be the Mahdi, a messiah-like figure in Islam, was killed in a battle on Sunday near Najaf with hundreds of his followers, Iraq’s national security minister said on Monday.
Women and children who joined 600-700 of his “Soldiers of Heaven” on the outskirts of the Shi’ite holy city may be among the casualties, Shirwan al-Waeli told Reuters. All those people not killed were in detention, many of them wounded.
…[snip]…
Some of the fighters wore headbands describing themselves as “Soldiers of Heaven”, Iraqi officials said. It was not clear how many women and children were present: “It is very sad to bring families onto the battlefield,” Waeli said.
When police first approached the camp and tried to call on the group to leave, their leader replied: “I am the Mahdi and I want you to join me,” Waeli said, adding: “Today was supposed to be the day of his coming.”
Other Iraqi officials said on Sunday that a man named Ahmed Hassani al-Yemeni, who had been working from an office in Najaf until it was closed down earlier this month, had assembled the group, claiming to be the messenger of the Mahdi.
Among previous violent instances of people saying they were the Mahdi were an opposition movement to British imperial forces in Sudan in the 1880s and a group of several hundred, including women, that took over the Grand Mosque in Mecca in 1979.”
Comment by Tequila —
January 29, 2007 @ 9:56 am
That’s the famous Mujahidin el-Khalq, Saddam Hussein’s favorite Iranians, who hate the mullahs in Iran and have regularly launched terror attacks inside Iran for years. Think of them as the Iranian SCIRI, as they have their own mini-army.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7902719/site/newsweek/
Comment by Tequila —
January 29, 2007 @ 10:01 am
Even more details. Now they’re saying they killed the “cult” leader. Also the first hint that there were women and kids present during the battle and some were killed.
Comment by Jim Henley —
January 29, 2007 @ 10:09 am
Wow, Tequila. I’m sure you noticed how little, you know, evidence was presented that the group was actually planning an attack.
Reading Patrick Cockburn’s version in the Guardian now.
We’re exporting the Waco siege. Kewl!
Comment by Alex —
January 29, 2007 @ 11:08 am
You don’t think the attack on the Civil Affairs guys had anything to do with this lot?
Comment by jamie —
January 29, 2007 @ 11:19 am
Ref Tequila: I don’t think it’s the MEK. Maryam Rajazvi is a member of the Central Committee of the Worker Communist Party of Iran, and as such quite popular with pro-war left types here in the UK.Last time I looked she was opposed to a military attack, though.
Incidentally, I read the cult leader’s moniker somewhere as “al Yemeni”. I don;pt know how many Yemeni shia there are but that seems a bit odd.
Comment by Tequila —
January 29, 2007 @ 11:57 am
The lady in question, I believe, is profiled here by the BBC. NCRI is definitely a MEK front, though.
Comment by diana —
January 29, 2007 @ 3:41 pm
“The official U.S. and Iraqi story about what happened in Najaf today, which was swallowed and propagated by news wires (and apparently also the New York Times), is complete nonsense.”
Have a look at Zeyad’s blog.
Comment by Jim Henley —
January 29, 2007 @ 3:49 pm
Oh good catch, diana. Thanks!
Comment by diana —
January 29, 2007 @ 3:59 pm
Sure thanks. Scroll down to what he says about the Malkin-bot and her ludicrous pseudo-reporting.
I’ve been reading Zeyad’s blog & it is interesting to see his evolution. He’s a skeptic by nature. Did certain poeple (they know who they are) think he was going to turn into a grateful little native kissing bwana’s hands?
Comment by diana —
January 29, 2007 @ 4:42 pm
From what I can gather it was “Orthodox” Shiites stamping out heretic Shiites using American firepower as a battering ram.
Your tax dollars at work.
Oh God.
Comment by BruceR —
January 29, 2007 @ 6:12 pm
Thanks for the linkage in your last post, Jim, but this wasn’t Samarra, or even Washita River, which I compared that fight to there. The best analogue to this one was Wounded Knee, more or less… with the exception that the Apaches in this context would mean something rather different.
Comment by jamie —
January 29, 2007 @ 6:26 pm
Tequila: whoops, many apologies: meant another maryam entirely.