Iraq politics shaped by Shi'ite intrigue

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http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L25659434.htm

NAJAF, Iraq, Aug 25 (Reuters) - The United States may envisage a Western-style democracy in Iraq but the country's political future is being shaped by intrigue and violence in the holy Shi'ite city of Najaf.

Thousands took to the streets of the city on Monday to mourn three bodyguards killed in an assassination attempt on a leading Shi'ite cleric blamed by many on rival leaders.

Iraqis examining the hole left by a bomb in the wall of Ayatollah Mohammed Saeed al-Hakim's office and bedroom were wondering who would want him dead.

Suspicions and rivalries among the leaders of the majority Shi'ites have been growing since Saddam Hussein was toppled on April 9.

Exiled Shi'ite clerics have returned home to find young radicals competing for control of the sect, which makes up 60 percent of the population and wants to lead Iraq after decades of repression under Saddam's Sunni-dominated government.

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