http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4266304.stm
They call this news. I've known about this for ages. Only in the last week another journalist working for a US newspaper was "arrested" and killed after writing about infiltration.
It seems to me that al-Sadr is being used as a scapegoat by a number of parties.
He's called Iran's agent solely on the basis that he's a Shi'ite cleric and anti-American. Compare this to SCIRI and the current prime minister whose links to Iran are indisputable.
It is the justification used by zarqawi lot.
There are alot of people who claim they have been tortured by the cops.
Some even were drilled into!
Its the second, more hidden side to the civil war.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
Another one?
There was a similar thing about a month or two ago. A reporter being killed the day after claiming the police had been infiltrated...
At what point is it no longer a coincidence?
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
Steven Vincent was killed about a month ago in Iraq. Considering the things he wrote about islam and iraqi culture I'm not really suprised.
This more recent incident happened on Sunday I think. It was an Iraqi writing for the New York Times. In the previous incident the British army denied the involvement of the iraqi police despite witness testimonies.
They can't do that this time because his family witnessed what happened. The police came to his house and stayed quite a while confiscating documents and videos before finally taking him away.
Add to that the reports the imprisonedmilitary that was broken out yesterday was supposedly in the hands of the millitia.
Or this news could just be to cover their backs, after storming a police station...
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4267054.stm
Iraq police militants 'must go'
They're not gonna have much of a police force left in Basra considering militia make up around 70% of the force according to the police chief there.
Watching the news, this is the next big thing.
The UK are blaming all their actions on the infiltration.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
I don't understand this arguement that if British troops withdraw there will be civil war.
Between who?
They're all shi'ites in the south. In terms of violence against their political opponents the Mahdi army and the Badr brigades are already doing whatever they want despite the British army. There's no real prospect for communal warfare in the south though.
salaf....
are the shia in the south arabs, or the same as iranians?
and how much influence do u think iranian agents have in the south?
POWER TO THE PEOPLE
The Iranians are persian shia, the Iraqi shia are arabs
They are mostly arabs but there must be a few persians I imagine.
The iraqi shi'ite groups may not even like the iranians that much but they're the only people willing to give them cash and arms. Its similar to the situation with the North Vietnamese and the Chinese during the war in Indochina. The Vietnamese may have hated the Chinese more than the Americans but they still accepted aid from them for a while.
In terms of influence I imagine it differs according to the group. The main shi'ite groups are SCIRI/Badr brigades, the Mahdi army, al-Dawa and the Iraqi Hezbollah.
From what I've read Hezbollah is the one most under Iranian influence. Ironically al-Sadr and his men may be the least influenced by Iran considering they've never lived there unlike many of the other groups.
Well...
The guy has a right to demand an apology. Will not get one though. Because that will mean the brits lied. They will not adit that. They have learnt well from Bliar.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.