What Iraqi Civil War?

I mean, just because someone blows up one of the most famous Shi’a mosques in the entire world . . .

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Top U.S. officials strongly condemned the bombing of a revered Shiite shrine Wednesday, calling it a desperate and despicable act designed to foment sectarian strife. […]

A pair of bombs Wednesday morning caused extensive damage to the golden dome of the Askariya shrine in Samarra, triggering protests and reprisal attacks against Sunni mosques.

or the fact that 27 Sunni mosques have been attacked in response . . .

SIX Sunnis were killed and 27 Sunni mosques attacked in Baghdad overnight in the wake of the bombing of a revered Shiite shrine north of the capital, a security official said. […]

One of the mosques was set on fire and a number of others were machine-gunned, the official added.

or that two Sunni clerics were assasinated and and one kidnapped . . .

Gunmen separately killed two Sunni clerics and kidnapped another in Baghdad on Wednesday, as sectarian tension grew up between Shiite and Sunni community following the bombing of a holy Shiite shrine, an Interior Ministry source said.

“Unknown gunmen shot dead Shiekh Hassan Hadith Hassan, a Sunni Imam of the al-Yamani mosque in Zaafaraniyah, in southern Baghdad, ” the source said on condition of anonymity.

or that Muqtada al-Sadr wants him some revenge . . .

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Shi’ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr blamed the bombing of a Shi’ite shrine in the Iraqi town of Samarra on Wednesday on Sunni Arab militants and vowed to take revenge, a spokesman for Sadr said.

“We will not only condemn and protest but we will act against those militants. If the Iraqi government does not do its job to defend the Iraqi people we are ready to do so,” said Abdel Hadi al-Darajee of Sadr’s position.

Members of Sadr’s Mehdi Army militia have already clashed with Sunnis in Diwaniya and Basra. […]

Witnesses said scores of his militiamen armed with AK-47 assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades took over streets in his Baghdad stronghold of Sadr City after the Samarra attack.

. . . that doesn’t mean Iraq has descended into chaos and civil war. Does it? Midwest Heroes, those folks running the ads in Minnesota and online about how the war in Iraq is going so well, they couldn’t possibly be making it all up, could they?

I’m so confused. Maybe Sean Hannity can explain it to me, so I can go back to believing in Mission Accomplished, and the strength and wisdom of our President’s strategery, once more.

11 Comments

BooMan on February 22, 2006 at 12:29 pm

Not good.

From Global Security.

Surra Man Ra’a (pleased who saw) was the historical name of Samarra city. It was established by the Abassid Caliph al-Mu’tasem Billah, the eighth Caliph of the Abbasids. He was born in (180 BC -797 AD). He was chosen a caliph after al-Ma’moon in (218 BC-833 AD). His reign had continued for nine years, during which he built the city of Samarra which was considered as the capital of the Abassid Caliphate after Baghdad in (221 BC-836 AD).

The modern city of Samarra is situated on the bank of the river Tigris some sixty miles from the city of Baghdad. The city is of outstanding importance because of its two shrines.

The golden dome on one shrine was presented by Nasr al-Din Shah and completed under Muzaffar al-Din Shah in the year 1905 A.D. Beneath the golden dome are four graves, those of Imam Ali al-Naqi (10th Imam) and his son, Imam Hasan al-Askari (11th Imam). The other two are of Hakimah Khatoon, the sister of Imam Ali al-Naqi who has related at length the circumstances of the birth of Imam al-Mahdi and the fourth grave is of Nargis Khatoon, the mother of Imam al-Mahdi, peace be upon him.

The second shrine marks the place where Imam al-Mahdi went into concealment. It has a dome that is distinguished for the soft delicate design that is worked in blue tiles, and beneath it is the Sardab (cellar) where the Imam is said to have disappeared. Visitors may enter this Sardab by a flight of stairs.

On 18 April 2003 elements of the 4 th Infantry Division engaged with Iraqi paramilitary forces in the vicinity of Taji and Samarra, destroying 8 “technicals” (civilian vehicles mounted with military weapons) and capturing 30 prisoners.

As of late 2003 more than 70 percent of the young men from 18-to-35 years old in the city of about 300,000 residents are unemployed.

Ed J on February 22, 2006 at 12:37 pm

We seem to be approaching a “tipping point” in Iraq.

sybil on February 22, 2006 at 12:44 pm

We were told by Cheney/Bush/Rice/Rumsfeld that there would be a civil war AFTER the military occupation of Iraq ended. You know, if US troops pulled out.

It just shows that Iraqis have no sense of timing.

on February 22, 2006 at 12:45 pm

Civil War is what America wants. I would not be surprised to see that American forces have had a hand in stirring up trouble between Shiites and Sunnis.

The Iraqi government is allied with IRan. Than makes them the enemy of America. America has created this situation and now there is nothing it can do but attack Iran to weaken Iranian influence in Iraq and to create a civil conflict between liberal Sunnis and more conservative Shiites.

The only solution for the failure of American Policy in Iraq is for America to make it look as though America gave Iraq freedom and instead of being free the Iraqis selfishly choose to fight each other.

idredit on February 22, 2006 at 12:47 pm

It’s no longer called a civil war. It’s

death-squad slayings
chaos
democracy is messy
sectarian violence
unconventional ethnic cleansing

Whatever.

But being in the midst of it, choose your adjective, we’ll be blamed. We were warned not to open this pandora’s box.

BooMan on February 22, 2006 at 12:48 pm

Scottie McClellan is denouncing this attack right now. He is saying the right things, we are promising to help restore the mosque to its former glory.
- idredit on February 22, 2006 at 1:07 pm
  
  Scottie McCellan is just not bankable. Neither is the US government’s Department of State after, last week, setting a precedent asking the Palestinians for the return of $50 million aid money.
  
  Such policies, bribery in the bazaar, do carry long term consequences.

rumi on February 22, 2006 at 1:09 pm

We should expect to see a sudden surge in enlistment due to the rush by the College Republicans to volunteer.

Dean Pajevic on February 22, 2006 at 2:14 pm

Steven, I love how you wrote this. Very punchy.

Also terribly devastating.

Steven D on February 22, 2006 at 4:09 pm

Thanks Susan.

Seems sort of hopeless, doesn’t it?

DuctapeFatwa on February 22, 2006 at 4:30 pm

blew up the mosque, there shouldn’t be any problem.

BooMan on February 22, 2006 at 12:29 pm

Not good.

From Global Security.

Surra Man Ra’a (pleased who saw) was the historical name of Samarra city. It was established by the Abassid Caliph al-Mu’tasem Billah, the eighth Caliph of the Abbasids. He was born in (180 BC -797 AD). He was chosen a caliph after al-Ma’moon in (218 BC-833 AD). His reign had continued for nine years, during which he built the city of Samarra which was considered as the capital of the Abassid Caliphate after Baghdad in (221 BC-836 AD).

The modern city of Samarra is situated on the bank of the river Tigris some sixty miles from the city of Baghdad. The city is of outstanding importance because of its two shrines.

The golden dome on one shrine was presented by Nasr al-Din Shah and completed under Muzaffar al-Din Shah in the year 1905 A.D. Beneath the golden dome are four graves, those of Imam Ali al-Naqi (10th Imam) and his son, Imam Hasan al-Askari (11th Imam). The other two are of Hakimah Khatoon, the sister of Imam Ali al-Naqi who has related at length the circumstances of the birth of Imam al-Mahdi and the fourth grave is of Nargis Khatoon, the mother of Imam al-Mahdi, peace be upon him.

The second shrine marks the place where Imam al-Mahdi went into concealment. It has a dome that is distinguished for the soft delicate design that is worked in blue tiles, and beneath it is the Sardab (cellar) where the Imam is said to have disappeared. Visitors may enter this Sardab by a flight of stairs.

On 18 April 2003 elements of the 4 th Infantry Division engaged with Iraqi paramilitary forces in the vicinity of Taji and Samarra, destroying 8 “technicals” (civilian vehicles mounted with military weapons) and capturing 30 prisoners.

As of late 2003 more than 70 percent of the young men from 18-to-35 years old in the city of about 300,000 residents are unemployed.
Ed J on February 22, 2006 at 12:37 pm

We seem to be approaching a “tipping point” in Iraq.
sybil on February 22, 2006 at 12:44 pm

We were told by Cheney/Bush/Rice/Rumsfeld that there would be a civil war AFTER the military occupation of Iraq ended. You know, if US troops pulled out.

It just shows that Iraqis have no sense of timing.
on February 22, 2006 at 12:45 pm

Civil War is what America wants. I would not be surprised to see that American forces have had a hand in stirring up trouble between Shiites and Sunnis.

The Iraqi government is allied with IRan. Than makes them the enemy of America. America has created this situation and now there is nothing it can do but attack Iran to weaken Iranian influence in Iraq and to create a civil conflict between liberal Sunnis and more conservative Shiites.

The only solution for the failure of American Policy in Iraq is for America to make it look as though America gave Iraq freedom and instead of being free the Iraqis selfishly choose to fight each other.
idredit on February 22, 2006 at 12:47 pm

It’s no longer called a civil war. It’s

death-squad slayings
chaos
democracy is messy
sectarian violence
unconventional ethnic cleansing

Whatever.

But being in the midst of it, choose your adjective, we’ll be blamed. We were warned not to open this pandora’s box.
- BooMan on February 22, 2006 at 12:48 pm
  
  Scottie McClellan is denouncing this attack right now. He is saying the right things, we are promising to help restore the mosque to its former glory.
  - idredit on February 22, 2006 at 1:07 pm
    
    Scottie McCellan is just not bankable. Neither is the US government’s Department of State after, last week, setting a precedent asking the Palestinians for the return of $50 million aid money.
    
    Such policies, bribery in the bazaar, do carry long term consequences.
rumi on February 22, 2006 at 1:09 pm

We should expect to see a sudden surge in enlistment due to the rush by the College Republicans to volunteer.
Dean Pajevic on February 22, 2006 at 2:14 pm

Steven, I love how you wrote this. Very punchy.

Also terribly devastating.
- Steven D on February 22, 2006 at 4:09 pm
  
  Thanks Susan.
  
  Seems sort of hopeless, doesn’t it?
DuctapeFatwa on February 22, 2006 at 4:30 pm

blew up the mosque, there shouldn’t be any problem.

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