[Marxism] Milan Rai on Najaf, US plans to crush Shi'a (counterpunch)

[Anna Fierling <anna_fierling@xxxxxxxxx>]

August 13, 2004
Slaughter in NajafBush Ignited This Insurgency, Not al-Sadr
By MILAN RAI

ASSAULTING THE SHIA MAJORITY

The United States has launched a war against a large part of the Iraqi people. 
It is the Bush Administration's desire for total domination, not the militancy 
of Shia insurgents, that has triggered this latest uprising. The US is trying 
to tame the Shia majority.

At the time of writing, US forces have surrounded the most holy site in Shia 
Islam, the Imam Ali mosque in the southern Iraqi city of Najaf, after eight 
days of fierce fighting with the forces of Muqtada al-Sadr, reportedly leaving 
hundreds dead. Elsewhere, "US air strikes and fighting on the ground in the 
[largely Shia] Iraqi city of Kut have left 72 people dead and about 150 
injured,' according to the interim Iraqi government. (BBC News Online, 12 Aug.)

"British troops [have also] fought fierce battles with militants in Amara and 
Basra... British toops launched an offensive overnight on Tuesday [10 Aug.] 
against Shia fighters in the southern town of Amara, killing 10 of them, the 
militiamen said. Hospital officials in the town said four civilians had also 
died.' (Telegraph, 12 Aug., p. 12)

"The purpose was to regain control of al-Amarah,' said Squadron Leader Spike 
Wilson, British forces spokesperson. ("British troops kill 10', Times, 12 Aug.) 
Control is what it's all about.

NEXT STOP: SADR CITY, BAGHDAD

"One of the biggest challenges to the interim prime minister, Iyad Allawi, is 
to stamp his authority on the capital. Sadr City, as the Shia suburb in 
north-east Baghdad is known, has increasingly started to ressemble 1980s 
Beirut. Scores have died in the past week as American tanks and fighter 
aircraft have fought the insurgents.' (Telegraph, 12 Aug., p. 12)

Adrian Blomfield of the Telegraph visited Sadr City: "That civilians are being 
killed by US troops is not in doubt. In a pool of blood on a hospital operating 
room floor yesterday, doctors were battling to save the life of six-year-old 
Ali Hussain"shot in the belly' by soldiers in a US tank. The doctors said, "We 
have had at least 20 dead brought in today.' (Telegraph, 12 Aug., p. 12)

Mehdi Nouri, a shopkeeper in Sadr City, said: "The Americans can never win us 
back now. The Americans are frightened of ordinary Iraqi people, that is why 
they hate us. We are frightened of them, that is why we hate them. In such a 
situation we can only see death and more deaths. We are begging the Americans 
to leave.' (Telegraph, 12 Aug., p. 12)

ALLAWI SERVES WASHINGTON

This is a US assault on Najaf. "Iraqi government troops are also involved, 
though their participation may be largely for political reasons"not least to 
signal that this is an operation that has the full backing of Iraq's interim 
Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.' (Jonathan Marcus, Diplomatic Correspondent, BBC 
News Online, 12 Aug.)

"Iyad Allawi, the interim prime minister, has laid his credibility on the line 
by promising total destruction of [Sadr's] Mahdi army.' (Telegraph, 12 Aug., p. 
12) However, "Ibrahim al-Jaafari, one of Iraq's two vice-presidents and leader 
of the biggest Shia party, the Da'awa, yesterday [11 Aug.] said US troops 
should stop fighting in Najaf and leave the job to Iraqi security forces.' 
(Guardian, 12 Aug., p. 3)

Jaafari "has topped opinion polls as Iraq's most popular politician' earlier 
this year. (FT, 12 Aug., p. 7)

THE US STARTED THIS UPRISING, NOT SADR

"A diplomatic source in Baghdad said yesterday that it was unclear why the 
cleric was leading the bloody uprising, the second that he has instigated in 
four months.' ("British troops kill 10', Times, 12 Aug.) Media reporting has 
done its best to obscure the origins of the violence.

The simple truth is that, as in the case of the first "Sadr uprising', this 
violence has been "instigated' not by Shia militants, but by the United States.

Go back to the beginning, 2 Aug.: "US forces in Iraq went on the offensive 
against two Islamist political groups yesterday [2 Aug.], arresting an 
influential Sunni cleric in Baghdad and breaking a two-month ceasefire with 
followers of Shia radical Moqtada al-Sadr, based in Kufa. Sheikh Mahmoud 
al-Sudani, a spokesman for Mr Sadr in Baghdad, told journalists that US 
soldiers had surrounded Mr Sadr's house. Reuters news agency quoted witneses 
saying that US forces had moved into Mr Sadr's neighbourhood in Kufa, next to 
Najaf, and were exchanging fire with members of Mr Sadr's Shia militia, the 
Mehdi Army.' (FT, 3 Aug., p. 9)

Interestingly, despite later denials, it was clear in first reports that the 
mission was to arrest Sadr: "The US military says an Iraqi arrest warrant has 
been issued for Sadr in relation to the killing of a rival cleric in Najaf last 
year.' The Independent also noted that "during truce negotiations earlier this 
year, Iraqi officials said Sadr would not face arrest.' (Independent, 3 Aug., 
p. 25) Another lie.

A few days later Sabah Khadim, a senior adviser to the Allawi government, 
indirectly confirmed that arresting Sadr is a priority: "Asked whether Mr Sadr 
would be arrested, Mr Khadim said: â¤We don't know exactly where he is, but we 
will fight all criminals. It does not matter how big they are.' (Guardian, 7 
Aug., p. 1)

The 2 Aug. raid was followed by "days of mounting tension during which Mr 
Sadr's supporters seized 18 Iraqi police officers in response to the arrest of 
several of the cleric's senior aides.' Full-scale violence in Najaf came on 4 
Aug. (Guardian, 6 Aug., p. 2)

It wasn't until 5 Aug. that "Militants linked to the firebrand cleric Moqtada 
al-Sadr declared holy war on British forces'. In Basra, British forces had 
arrested four Sadr supporters on 3 Aug. Fighting broke out on 5 Aug. "after the 
expiry of a noon deadline to release them.' (Telegraph, 6 Aug., p. 14)

All this is very like the start of the spring "Sadr uprising', which was 
triggered "after the US-led occupation authorities closed his newspaper, 
arrested a key aide and called for his arrest over the killing of a moderate 
Shia leader.' (BBC News Online, 16 June)

On 5 Aug., a Sadr spokesperson in Amara said of this latest violence, quite 
accurately, "The ceasefire is over because of the actions of the occupation 
forces.' (Telegraph, 6 Aug., p. 14)

SADR CALLS FOR A CEASEFIRE

Despite all this, on the same day, "a spokesman for Mr Sadr called for the 
restoration of a truce agreed in June between Mr Sadr's forces and US troops.' 
(FT, 6 Aug., p. 5)

The governor of Najaf, Adnan al-Zurufi, responded to this appeal with the 
statement that, "There is no compromise or room for another truce.' (Times, 7 
Aug., p. 18)

A US diplomat said, "This is one battle we really do feel we can win.' 
(Telegraph, 7 Aug., p. 12)

No more ceasefires.

The reason Sadr wants a ceasefire is because he wants to become part of the 
political process. As part of the first truce, "Mr Sadr issued a statement 
calling on his men who are not from Najaf to "do their duty" and go home... 
[and] announced he would set up a political party to contest elections next 
year.' ("Sadr orders militia to quit Najaf', BBC News Online, 16 June)

The BBC's Dumeetha Luthra in Baghdad suggested that the order for non-resident 
fighters to leave Najaf might be "a tentative step to secure a place in a 
future Iraqi government.' Sadr "urged supporters not attack Iraqi security 
forces, and said the recently formed interim government was a opportunity to 
"build a unified Iraq".' ("Sadr orders militia to quit Najaf', BBC News Online, 
16 June)

Sadr was no longer calling the interim government a puppet of the US; he was 
preparing for political, not military, mobilisation.

It is precisely the political strength of the Shia majority that the Allawi 
government and the Bush Administration fear and wish to destroy. That is why 
they launched the raid to capture Sadr. That is why they are willing to invade 
Najaf and kill hundreds. That is why they are assaulting Shia communities all 
over Iraq.

It is not Sadr's guns, but his votes that pose a threat to US domination. 
Elections (even the national assembly conference) cannot be held until the 
opposition has been co-opted or crushed.

Private Lee O'Callaghan, who was killed in fighting in Basra on 9 Aug. was due 
to return to the UK the following week. His aunt, Margaret Evans, said, "My 
message to Tony Blair is we should not be there. Why are we in Iraq? My message 
would be, get the rest of the kids out.' (Telegraph, 11 Aug., p. 10)

Milan Rai is the author of War Plan Iraq.





                
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