Reuters reports this morning that another firefight has occurred between U.S. and coalition forces and Iraqi Shi'ite Muslim militiamen loyal to rebel cleric Moqtada al—Sadr; this time in the holy city of Kerbala.  US and Bulgarian forces killed three fighters according to witnesses and hospital sources.  There were no reports of coalition casualties.

On the plus side, Shi'ite political leaders had earlier called on Sadr to disarm and stressed that they wanted to initiate a 'collective effort .... to try to avoid further violence in the holy cities of Najaf and Kerbala and regain political ground lost to the firebrand cleric...'  This is a very positive development —— if Shi'ite Iraqis can themselves ultimately take care of this renegade cleric and his militia.

Reuters then says

Iran, which backs almost all Shi'ite political forces in Iraq, had earlier said the United States should leave the politicians to solve the problem instead of inflaming the situation by trying to arrest Sadr.

If people weren't fighting and dying, this would be one of the most laughable, disingenuous comments in journalistic history —— even for Reuters.  Iran has been funding, training, and staffing Sadr's militia for months.  That Reuters would now provide a voice to the Iranian 'peacemakers' without a serious examination of how Iran has fomented this violence, is the height of hypocrisy.

Posted by Doug   05—05—04