Iraqi cult leader killed in battle -minister (Najaf)

[maddezmom]

BAGHDAD, Jan 29 (Reuters) - The leader of an Iraqi cult who claimed to be the Mahdi, a messiah-like figure in Islam, was killed in a battle on Sunday near Najaf with hundreds of his followers, Iraq's national security minister said on Monday.

Women and children who had joined 600-700 of his fighters outside the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf may also be among the casualties, Shirwan al-Waeli told Reuters. All those who were not killed there were in detention, many of them wounded.

The final casualty toll, put by other Iraqi officials at 300 gunmen, was still being calculated, he said, putting the initial figure at about 200 militants. Searchers were still scouring the area where U.S. tanks, helicopters and jets reinforced Iraqi troops during some 24 hours of fighting.

"He claimed to be the Mahdi," Waeli said of the cult's leader, adding that he had used the full name Mahdi bin Ali bin Ali bin Abi Taleb, claiming descent from the Prophet Mohammad.

He was believed to be a 40-year-old from the nearby Shi'ite city of Diwaniya: "He was killed," Waeli said.

The group, which other Iraqi officials said included both Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims as well as foreigners, had planned an attack on Monday on the Shi'ite clerical establishment in Najaf.

more:http://mobile.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MAC956267.htm

[Kagemusha]

1. So that's the story they've settled on.

Maybe it's even true.

[maddezmom]

3. got me, but sounds like utter chaos

I saw another headline earlier in the morning...."Iraqi troops preemptively kill 250 Sunni militants"

[Warren Stupidity]

4. They could not have been sunni militants.

Najaf is in the Shia heartland. There is simply no way that an insurgent force is going to operate outside of its own population base.

The morning bullshit on the tv news was that they were shiite insurgents preparing to kill shiite pilgrims - all said with a perfectly straight face as if that made any sense at all.

We have the madison avenue version of pravda on our tvs. The readers utter complete and obvious bullshit without batting an eye. Nobody asks any real questions, everyone is too scared of losing those big ass jobs to question authority.

[Benhurst]

9. Are women counted as 1 or ½ "terrorist"? Children as ½ or ¼ "terrorist"?

Back to the old "body count" days of Vietnam, bringing democracy and freedom to the people of Iraq.

:argh:

[Warren Stupidity]

2. I'm thinking this is TOTAL BULLSHIT

Every story I hear about whatever happened in Najaf is full of holes.

"Women and children who had joined 600-700 of his fighters outside the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf" - say what? How about this was a large group of pilgrims, armed for protection, making their way to the celebrations in Karbala? How about we just committed another atrocity?

[Kagemusha]

5. And there I was thinking they found a safe enemy.

You know, one that Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds and Americans could unite around killing: their local version of David Khoresh. I'm sure to someone over there, that sounds like a really good day.

Too bad it's over and we're back to regularly scheduled carnage.... and that's no matter what the hell the truth of the matter is.

[leftchick]

8. CBS's Lara Logan said they were Sunnis

and well armed and funded. Of course I am sure she was reading a pentagon paper and not an actual report, but they went on to speculate "who could be funding the Sunnis?" If they is any reality to the report I would think dick cheney would be the one to answer that question...

[Roland99]

11. They're funding themselves with US taxpayers dollars stolen via rampant corruption in the Iraqi gov.

Insurgents have infiltrated all levels of Iraqi gov't and have been there for at least 2 years now.

[leftchick]

13. well of course they are

but when SA said thy were going to arm help the sunnis in Iraq if the US didn't stem the violence I believe they were admitting they already were. I believe that is what the prince said to dick in the November visit.

[C_U_L8R]

6. One thing for sure, the guy's not the Mahdi

what a stupid stupid war

what happens to Boosh in the 3rd act?

[Swagman]

7. in other words: another wedding party has been bombed

[CJCRANE]

10. "The group, which other Iraqi officials said

included both Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims as well as foreigners".

Methinks this is a CYA statement designed to make it seem like it was an equal opportunity wipeout (i.e. no specific minority was targeted).

[maddezmom]

12. there was no way to tell who the hell they were when they were

bombing them in the middle of the night.

~snip~

An Iraqi army source said U.S. forces took control of the operation on Sunday and bombed the area overnight.

~snip~

A Reuters reporter at the scene, 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, saw U.S. tanks and heard blasts after dark on Sunday and an Iraqi officer said F-16 jets were bombing the area.

The U.S. military officially handed over responsibility for Najaf province to Iraqi security forces last month, withdrawing most U.S. troops, to be recalled only to help in emergencies.

more: http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2007-01-29T132037Z_01_L2828035_RTRUKOC_0_UK-IRAQ.xml&pageNumber=1&imageid=&cap=&sz=13&WTModLoc=NewsArt-C1-ArticlePage1

[CJCRANE]

15. I think you're right.

It's prob another Bushco propaganda special, just like the bombing of Somalia the other week. Grab the headlines with a seeminlgy successful offensive, leave the real details for the bloggers to uncover in the following days and weeks.

[maddezmom]

14. new AP link:Iraqis: At least 200 insurgents killed

~snip~

The Iraqi troops killed 200 terrorists, wounded 60 and captured 120 in the operation, defense ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari said, citing the most recent figures he had received.

Ahmed Deaibil, a spokesman for Najaf province, and Brig. Gen. Fadhil Barwari earlier had put the figure at 300 militants killed and as many as 20 captured, including fighters from Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Lebanon.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070129/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq;_ylt=Al9bFhAX5hCp7yU1iq3P2hSs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--

[blitzen]

16. Juan Cole: "Most likely Shiite on Shiite violence...But who knows?"

http://juancole.com/

It seems most likely that this was Shiite on Shiite violence, with millenarian cultists making an attempt to march on Najaf during the chaos of the ritual season of Muharram. But who knows? It is also possible that the orthodox Shiites in control of Najaf hate the heretic millenarians and the threat of the latter was exaggerated. Darned if I know. The reports of the Army of Heaven being so well armed make no sense if it was a ragtag millenarian band. But those reports could be exaggerations, too.

It seems most likely that the Mahdawiya is the sect of Sheikh Mahmud al-Hasani al-Sarkhi and that al-Basri was the founder of the sect. That would be a way of reconciling al-Zaman with al-Hayat.

The dangers of Shiite on Shiite violence in Iraq are substantial, as this episode demonstrated. Ironically, given Bush's mantra about Iran, the trouble makers here are a sect that absolutely hates Iran.

[maddezmom]

17. thanks for the link

I read it earlier in E&O and forgot to add it :hi:

[Barrett808]

19. Here's the permalink:

http://www.juancole.com/2007/01/fighters-for-shiite-messiah-clash-with.html

[chelsea0011]

18. So now we are fighting cults, also?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

20. Translation...

Another probe of sunni insurgents attacked to look for American weaknesses. Maybe 20, 25 insurgents killed. Two US troops killed, another 20 or so wounded. Unknown casualties among US supporting Iraqi troops and mercenaries.