Iraq Gunmen Kill Shiite Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr Aide

[ECH1969]

An AP wire is reporting that two gunmen in a speeding car assassinated a top aide of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, police said Tuesday.

Sheik Saad Yousnis al-Difaie, the director of al-Sadr's office in Diyala province, was gunned down in Baqouba's Sinaa neighborhood, according to police Col. Mudhafar Mohamed.

Baqouba is a religiously mixed city northeast of Baghdad, which has been the scene of sectarian violence in the past.

http://www.bloggernews.net/showstory.asp?page=blognews/stories/WN0000336.txt

[bemildred]

1. Not good. nt

[wtmusic]

2. The US would love al-Sadr dead

and there is no shortage of "gunmen in speeding cars" to blame it on. Just a matter of time.

[bahrbearian]

8. I thought Negropontes M/O, was hands bound ,shot in the Head.

[whistle]

3. That is very bad news and may almost certainly lead to civil war

....which is what Bush has been wanting to happen all along.

[sintax]

4. Wonder who hired these assassins

Wonder what message they were trying to send

Wonder if this will create further tensions and divisions

Wonder if this tactic has been used before, say as with Kermit Roosevelt in Iran in the 50's.

Wonder if...

just wonderin'

www.warresisters.org

[bemildred]

5. I would guess it's a "warning". Muqtada has been speaking up of late. nt

[leftchick]

7. Operation Phoenix

Probably renamed for the current conflict "Operation Crusade".....

http://www.serendipity.li/cia/operation_phoenix.htm

<snip>

Vietnam, 65-70 details re Vietnam. From 65-68 U.S. and Saigon intel services maintained an active list of VC cadre marked for assassination. Phoenix Program for 69 called for "neutralizing" 1800 a month. About one third of VC targeted for arrest had been summarily killed. Security committees established in provincial interrogation centers to determine fate of VC suspects, outside of judicial controls. Green Berets and navy SEALs most common recruits for Phoenix Program. Green Beret detachment B-57 provided admin cover for other intel units. One was project cherry, tasked to assassinate Cambodian officials suspected of collaborating with NVNese, and kgb. Another was project oak targeted against svnese suspected collaborators. They controlled by special assistant for counterinsurgency and special activities, which worked with CIA outside of general abrams control. Stein. J. (1992), A Murder in Wartime, 360-1.

[sintax]

9. Yes

and of course Battalion 316 as the modus operandi of the vampire named Negroponte.

Please people take a look at how the situation in Iraq parallels so many others courtesy of the CIA-Special Ops playbook.

Pay close attention to the tactics since the ghoul of ghouls and mafia don Negroponte has taken over.

[bribri16]

6. Bet 10 to 1 insurgents didn't do this. i was right about UK -Brazilian

I just know I am right about this. I don't care who comes out and "claims" responsibility. The US, UK, and Israel have special ops operating inside Iraq and have had them there since BEFORE 9/11. If the military had to admit to falsifying military news releases quoting fake Iraqis, you just know that is the tiniest tip of this iceberg.

[sintax]

10. You are right

Strategy of tension
Assassinations
Blowing up of oil wells
Mercenaries

Hecate is in Mesopotamia

On Edit: As a sidebar a chap named Sir Derek Plumbly was UK ambassador to Saudi during the bombings there in 2002 and is the current UK ambassador to Egypt. Interesting character.

[bemildred]

11. I agree.

Ruling over the fragmented rubble of Iraq is considered better than having an independent unified state not under our control. Unfortunately, Iran will have a good deal to say about that.