US losing control as Iraqi grief turns to revenge

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,7136800%255E912,00.html

By SAMMY KETZ in Baghdad
02sep03
BAYING for vengeance, mourners of a slain Iraqi Shi'ite leader and militants have promised revenge and blamed the US, fuelling fears the country is spinning out of control five months into the US-led occupation.

As President George W. Bush fights off demands from US politicians for more international troops, hundreds of thousands of Shi'ites filled Iraqi streets for a second day in funeral marches for Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim.

Al-Hakim, who returned to Iraq in May after 23 years of exile in Iran, was the target of Friday's car bombings in Najaf, which killed 83 people.

A shadowy Iraqi group which claimed the bomb attack on UN headquarters last month in Baghdad vowed to attack US targets in retaliation for the death of al-Hakim.

more

[Cha]

1. Kick

:kick:

[IndianaGreen]

2. MSNBC had its reporter on the streets of Najaf today

he asked one man who he thought was responsible for the bombing that killed Ayatollah al-Hakim. The man said that there was no difference between Sunnis and Shiites Muslims, that all Muslims are alike, and that the people that killed al-Hakim were not Muslims.

That's the word on the street!

[Kbowe]

3. You can believe the street!

The blowback will be unbelievable.

[LeighAnn]

23. The day it happened the crowd on the street was saying...

When they were asking the people who they thought was responsible, the group pretty much unamimously was saying, "CIA". That was on MSNBC, too.

[xchrom]

4. bring our troops home!

[drummerjohn]

5. But..but...but...

I thought the Iraqis loved us for "liberating" them

:shrug:

[cthrumatrix]

6. to be "losing control" means you had control at one point..... this has

been a bad dream of lies and greed...

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

7. Before all is said and done, Bush will be to the Muslims what

Hitler is to the Jews.

[leftchick]

8. pardon me but...

did the US ever have control of anything once the bombing stopped?!? I did not think so....

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

9. The US hasn't had control of anything since the Pesidency was stolen

in the coup of 2000.

[Nancy Waterman]

10. Wait til that Drudge story spreads over there

about the incredibly high levels of radiation from our bullets. It hink things are about to explode over there.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

11. Over there in Iraq or over there in freeperville?

The story is likely to be explosive at either venue.

[fizzana]

13. The story about the radiation levels was initially reported a few

weeks ago and thus far it has exploded absolutely nowhere. Expect that to continue. The only place it might get some traction is on sites like Hackworth.com where soldiers can safely vent among their own.

http://hackworth.com/

[The Magistrate]

12. There Will Be Serious Bloodshed

First, Sunnis, and foreign Wahhabis in the Shia areas will be hunted down.

Second, factional fighting will break out between adherents of the elder and the younger clerics. During this, both sides will bid fot popular support by attack U.S. and other coallition forces.

[RainDog]

16. you are most likely correct

but since the buzz on the street is that it wasn't a muslim attack, do you think the Shia will attack Sunnis first, or combine forces to first get rid of joint enemies before turning on each other?

maybe that doesn't take enough account of the animosity between them.

At the same time, CNN's Blitzer announced that Israel has declared "All Out War" against Palestinian terrorists.

This is their opportunity, I suppose, with the US bogged down in Iraq, and with various groups massing there to attack U.S. troops.

[MurrayDelph]

14. Their Shock is wearing off.

Now it's time for "Aw Shit!"

[cliss]

15. We have so many enemies now

we don't know which way to turn. Some of our alliances have soured, some are shaky at best. As if that wasn't bad enough, we now have new groups which are emerging, so we need to add to our 'encyclopedia of hostile forces'.

The US represents 5% of the world's population. We are trying to control the other 95%. This gives a new meaning to the word 'dysfunctional'.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

17. Well said, cliss, and WELCOME TO DU!

:toast:

[JPace]

18. It's time for AWOL to lead!

get into his spiffy flight jump suite,
fly over there and lead everyone to
democracy!

Oh yes.....while he's there he should
tell the crowds directly:

"BRING EM ON!"

[TolstoyAndy]

19. Ohhh man !!

I would pay MONEY to see that.

I doubt the overstuffed codpiece would scare them away for long!

[Nottingham]

20. I thought the People Loved us! Dang! We freed them!

Ya freed them so the Shiites could be our slaves.

:bounce:

[kainah]

21. Costs now 6.2 billion a month!!!!!!!!!

From the article:

US officials have acknowledged the surging financial cost of military operations and of rebuilding Iraq, with an estimated $6.2 billion spent each month on the military alone.

When did we go from $4 billion to $6.2 billion per month?????? :wow:

[cliss]

22. Thanks! Pilgrim

I've found a new favorite web site. For months now, I've just been getting infuriated with the news. This is the one place where I can read the news without getting pissed.

Thanks for making it great!