Iraqi south threatens secession

[kentuck]

Rep Curt Weldon let it slip out during the hearing yesterday about al Sadr ties to Iran, so it appears Iran may be more involved in the Shia uprising in Najaf than otherwise known. Now the Iraqi officials in the Shia South are threatening to secede from the Baghdad government. They are not happy with Allawi. Secession? Is that the first step in any civil war?
=====================================================================

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/FC96F264-4A45-43B0-B90D-B265192BA98C.htm

<snip>
Basra Deputy Governor Salam Uda al-Maliki has said he is to announce the separation of some Iraqi southern governorates from the central Baghdad government.


Informed sources told Aljazeera that al-Maliki said the breakaway province would include Basra, Misan and Dhi Qar governorates.



He also wants to shut Basra's port and in effect stop oil exports.



Al-Maliki said the decision was taken because the Iraqi interim government was "responsible for the Najaf clashes".

[bemildred]

1. Actually, I think Iran is more linked with SCIRI

which gets in fights with al Sadr and his minions.
I think the "al Sadr works for Iran" meme is current propaganda.
Maybe Aidoneus will chip in.

[kentuck]

3. He was quoting from classified materials....

and I think he let some material slip that maybe was not supposed to slip?

[bemildred]

4. I'm questioning whether it just "slipped out"?

Lies are so much more effective when they just "slip out".

I would not be at all surprised if Iran is supporting the
Shiite resistance, rather the opposite, but I would be somewhat
surprised if they were best buddies with al Sadr. It was my
impression that Iran is closer to al Sistani, who is somewhat
competitive with al Sadr.

[bemildred]

5. It you read Google News for al Sadr today

you will see the al Sadr works for Iran meme all over.

[underpants]

2. But it's about HISTORY and HERITAGE!!!

Sounds kinda dumb now huh?

Secession in the South - The Kurds firebombing Turkish hotels

Sounds like a mess to me.

What ever happened to that story of the Kurds attacking across the Turkish border? That seemed to fade away quite quickly-is it over?

[Joanne98]

7. and their Persian fore-fathers.......

It's a MUSLIM NATION. sound familiar? If the religious nuts in the south can't evolve after 150 of trying. this is never going to get better. what a joke.

[Joanne98]

6. OMG

this is the absolute worst news. can they fuck up any worse?