Iraqi Official Wants U.S. to Leave Nation

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=716&e=2&u=/ap/20030902/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

NAJAF, Iraq - A member of the U.S.-picked governing council angrily denounced the American occupation in a eulogy for his slain brother before 400,000 Shiite mourners Tuesday, demanding U.S. troops leave Iraq and blaming them for lax security that led to the revered cleric's assassination.

Abdel-Aziz al-Hakim spoke in the holy city of Najaf at the funeral of his brother, Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim, as men clad in white robes and dark uniforms brandishing Kalashnikov rifles stood guard every 16 feet along the roof of Najaf's gold-domed Imam Ali mosque. snip

"The occupation force is primarily responsible for the pure blood that was spilled in holy Najaf, the blood of al-Hakim and the faithful group that was present near the mosque," Abdel-Aziz al-Hakim said in his eulogy.

"This force is primarily responsible for all this blood and the blood that is shed all over Iraq every day," he said.

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[MoonAndSun]

1. This is absolutely horrible.....

the bloodshed is just beginning for our soldiers, and most likely for our country. I hope the American people are prepared for the horror that is coming.

May the Goddess protect us all.

[Rebel_with_a_cause]

2. You took the words out of my mouth

We're in for a bloodbath, and it's likely to come fast and furious from here on out.

I just wonder if the American people, to include our troops, will ever figure out that we're not there to "free" the Iraqi people.

[Turbulence]

4. I am not sure most care to even enquiry

many seem to feel the evildoers must be stopped. The only way it will hit home is IF it hits home.

[phatkatt]

3. If members of our hand-picked governing council are saying this ...

... it does not bode well for the occupation or PNACers' plans!

God, what a mess ...

[Junkdrawer]

5. But I thought the Hakims were our best friends?

That’s what the media keeps saying. I was listening to NPR today and they didn't say: "slain Shia religious leader Hakim", they said "slain Shia religious leader Hakim, chief Shia defender of the US sponsored interim government."

[Carmerian]

6. Folks need to read

This.

Steve Gilliard wrote that four and a half months ago, and he's looking increasingly correct.

"The first signs of real trouble and things could get ugly quickly from here is if Shia clerics, remember Shias are 60 percent of the country, declare that their people must oppose the US. Once that moral and religious grounding is established, opposition will explode because it will be justified to the majority of people.

...


"It will start small. Assassinations, maybe a shoot out or two in a distant province away from direct US control. Maybe a US official or an exile. Then the killings move to mob-style violence, car bombs, gunfights, kidnappings, murders. As the pace of the killings grow, you start to see organized formations. Maybe 1000 men, maybe 1500. They start to use heavier weapons, rockets, mortars, machine guns in their internecine battles. Neighborhoods, then towns, start to fall into disorder. Local militas now control the area. These areas start to spread. Instead of the looting and raping you see now, you see nothing but order. You don't steal a loaf of bread in these areas. People who do, get killed, publicly."


Edited to fix the link and add some text from the article.

[Cocoa]

7. I agree, turns out he may be right

That was written one day after "Statue Day", and he seems to have seen things pretty clearly.

Most of the analysis at that time was closer to the following crap from Kathleen Parker, who by the way hasn't written anything on Iraq since this column.

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/kathleenparker/kp20030412.shtml

What was that whimpering sound? Oh that. It's just the "Yes, but" crowd formerly known as the "anti-war pundits." Ignore them.

Saddam's statue had barely hit the ground in central Baghdad before America's armchair doomsayers began harrumphing a new caveat in which to couch this unseemly turn of events. One might almost think they didn't want Saddam to fall.

You couldn't help noticing the careful balance the antis tried to strike between reluctant admission and preachy admonition. The formula goes something like this: "Yes, we defeated Iraq, BUT . let's not get too carried away, it ain't over yet."

more...

[cliss]

8. Right, Camerian.

This is the absolute worst-case scenario which was portrayed at Stratfor.com. This ex-CIA intelligence web site went through 4 possible scenarios; with the lowest-case being guerrilla tactics continuing or being shut down. The worst one being the day when the religious Shi'a clerics jumping into the fight.

That's what's happened now. By the way, they hold a very low expectation of success in Iraq.

[Sweetpea]

9. The appeal to the UN is to deflect this kind of dissatisfaction

These words would be a bigger news story.