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February 22, 2006
A Scary Turning Point
The attack on the Askariya shrine has finally managed what massive bombings of markets, schools, funerals had not -- some Shi'ite militants have turned around and attacked Sunni mosques, killing at least a dozen.
This may well be the scary turning point that the Salafi fundamentalists have been trying to achieve for so long. And it is not good for U.S. plans for the region -- it's been clear for some time that Zalmay Khalilzad has been trying, successfully for a change, to isolate some portions of the insurgency in return for more power to the Sunni leadership.
While this may bad it may be for the United States long-term plans for the region, it is a terrible turning point for the people of Iraq. The long-forecast civil war may yet spark, and if it does, the blood that had flown until known will possibly seem like merely a trickle.
Posted by zeynep at February 22, 2006 09:57 PM
Comments
Is there any evidence that Salafi fundamentalists were behind the bombing? They haven't claimed responsibility, and the modus operandi, the careful way in which the bombs were planted, does not look like their, usually rather unsubtle, way of doing things.
Apart from that, how exactly is this bad for the US? It has been clear for some time now -
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-1433353,00.html - that the US want the Shi'ites to take care of the Sunnis (elementary colonialism); this will be more than a little helpful for that project. And besides, a "civil war" is the only excuse for the US to stay in Iraq.
Posted by: Qlipoth at February 26, 2006 01:45 PM
I agree with the earlier comment here. Everybody seem to be talking about the muslim fundamentalists as being behind all the attacks in Iraq - especially the atrocities that could be said to lead to sectarian divide. But just where is the evidence? I am surprised so many from the so-called "left" is also buying this crap. Also on this site it seems, unfortunately. Has everybody forgot about the not-so-long-time-ago capture of the SAS soldiers in Basra. Now that is what I call evidence. Evidence of the role of the USA and the UK as an instigator of terror, mayhem and war. This is obvious. Just like the claim that the mysterious "foreign fighters" are behind the resistence in Iraq. It is clear now that this fraction accounts to up to 5 % of the freedom fighting forces. And I can imagine they dont even account to 1 % actually. This is nothing but the iraqi people fighting for independence. They are liberating themselves from the nazi-like occupation of U.S. "soldiers" and their "coalition of the willing". All other opinions has so far been traced back to murky corners of Washington.
Posted by: Swede at March 1, 2006 09:13 AM