Iraq’s Sadr Group Says Sunni Extremists a Threat
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Prominent members of rebel Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s movement have become the latest targets in a shadowy insurgency gripping Iraq, raising fears of more unrest in a country plagued by violence.
Sadr’s followers say they believe the attacks are part of a wider campaign to target Iraq’s Shi’ite majority, destined for power in a democratic Iraq having been sidelined for decades by Sunni Arab rulers.
Last Tuesday, members of Sadr’s movement heading to Najaf were attacked by gunmen on a road notorious for drive-by shootings and kidnappings near Latifiya, south of Baghdad.
The attack, which killed three, including a political leader in the group, Basheer al-Jazairi, came a day after another member of the group, Ali al-Mohammadawi, was shot dead outside his home in southern Baghdad.
A ‘shadowy insurgency’? Come on. Baathists and fundamentalists. ‘Sunni triangle.’ They control the entire western part of the country and a lot north of Bagdhad. This mystification is deliberate. Otherwise they would have to admit to the magnitude of the disaster.