Iraqi Shiites mourn slain leader as fresh violence erupts

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20030831/ts_afp/iraq_worldwrap&cid=1503&ncid=1480

<snip>Thousands of mourners poured onto the streets of Najaf, and in the southern city of Basra crowds cried for revenge and denounced the failure of the US-led coalition to bring order to the country war-torn. snip

Gathered near the burnt-out cars, heaps of brick and shattered glass that were the detritus of the explosion, they shouted epithets against the United States over the death of their leader, who was known to have discreetly cooperated with the US presence in Iraq.

Elsewhere Saturday, tribal Sheikh Hatem al-Assy al-Obeidi, who presides over a million-strong clan, was arrested by US troops west of the northern Iraqi oil capital of Kirkuk on suspicion of abetting sabotage of fuel pipelines, tribal sources told AFP.

"US forces broke into Sheikh Hatem al-Obeidi's house in al-Ramal village and his nephew's house in al-Asar village where they found several weapons and four million Iraqi dinars (around 2,700 dollars) with some gold and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher," one source said.

more

[Aidoneus]

1. hm, the al-Obeid again..

I posted an article down in FA about the Turks supposedly courting the al-Obeid tribe over their common opinions regarding the Kurdish Peshmerga militia (that common opinion being "dislike").. If US occupation forces are running into trouble with them and they're talking to Turkey, that could be more fun tension and trouble. A relevant quote from a rep of the al-Obeid being,
“...We feel uncomfortable with the activities of Americans and the actions of the Kurds and want the Peshmergas (Kurdish forces) to leave our cities as soon as possible. For this reason we are ready to struggle with you (Turkmens) against them (Kurds)...”

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=116&topic_id=1046
http://www.kurdmedia.com/reports.asp?id=1620

[bahrbearian]

2. It was so cut and dry before> WMD

Now I have to learn the struggle between the Iraqi Tribes!!!
Who Planned the fiasco???

[NNN0LHI]

3. I think WMD's were easier for Junior too

Now he don't know what to do. But whatever he does you can be sure it will be wrong.

Don

[bemildred]

4. Yes, and arrested by US troops, too, and

suspected in pipeline destruction. Time for
a Valium.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

5. Just read a headline with the number 300,000 mourners...

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=2&u=/ap/20030831/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[UpInArms]

6. 'Down with America' chants crowd as Shia Muslims mourn dead

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/08/31/wirq131.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/08/31/ixhome.html

Packed into buses, pick-up trucks, taxis and cars, an estimated 500,000 mourners descended on the holy city of Najaf yesterday for the burial of Iraq's leading Shia cleric who was among at least 80 people killed by a car bomb on Friday.

From dawn, a ceaseless stream of traffic clogged the roads around the sprawling cemetery of mud brick tombs. Devastated followers of Ayatollah Mohammed Baqer al-Hakim walked the final mile to the sacred shrine of Imam Ali where the huge blast claimed the life of the key American ally.

The crowds beat their chests in sorrow and denounced the American-led occupation of Iraq. Chants of "down with America" filled the air as two white lorries carried away the charred remains of the cars used in the attack. Some carried coffins wrapped in black shrouds bearing verses from the Koran.

In turn abject and ecstatic, mourners demanded that Iraqi Shi'ites seize control of the country. "We cannot remain silent any more," said Hassan Abu Ali. "We must do something I will not allow our enemies to sleep peacefully any more."

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tick tick tick tick ...

we are so screwed :(