IRAQ’S Shiite cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr claims that the fighting that has broken out in Najaf and since spread to other towns began when coalition forces sought to move against his militiamen. The coalition forces claim that they were merely responding to attacks upon their own troops and the lightly-armed Iraqi police. The truth may never become clear. What is obvious is that this reopening of another violent front in embattled Iraq must be closed as quickly as possible.
Al-Sadr’s position as a leader is complicated by the fact that a warrant is out for his arrest because of the charge that he was responsible for the murder of a rival cleric. Al-Sadr denies this vigorously and claims the accusation was trumped up by the Americans. The only way to prove this will, however, be in an Iraqi court and Al-Sadr shows no sign of handing himself over to the authorities. His supporters of course have no doubt of his innocence and are dedicated to driving out the American occupation forces. It would seem therefore that the positions are intractable and the violence from this group of Shiites is sure to continue.
Al-Sadr’s militiamen by themselves at present pose no significant military threat. They are still undisciplined and their casualties during the last Najaf confrontation with the Americans two months ago were extremely high. The danger they pose lies in the diversion of the security effort the authorities are obliged to make, away from the far deadlier challenge of resistance fighters, Al-Qaeda’s foreign fighters and the die-hard Baathists. The irony is that these insurgents would probably have even less time for Al-Sadr’s Shiite politics than the Allawi government.
Some of Iraq’s Shiite majority appear to be furious that Al-Sadr continues to make trouble and is endangering the success of the interim government of Iyad Allawi.
The only way that Al-Sadr’s Mahdi army is going to make more than trouble is if they can swing moderate Shiite opinion behind them. The present time may seem to offer a golden opportunity since the moderate Shiite leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, is abroad where he is undergoing medical treatment. Al-Sistani is no friend of the American presence but has consistently refused to counsel violence and his views have until now been widely accepted by the Shiite community. Innocent civilians killed by US rockets aimed at Mahdi insurgents in Najaf are already angering people, as is the fighting taking place in the city’s huge cemetery and the damage done to mosques in which militants hide. Yet it seems that opinion is split between those who blame Al-Sadr’s men for choosing to fight in such holy places and those who credit the US forces in the coalition with anti-Islamic motives. The Americans meanwhile simply take the view that the Mahdi army is a criminal gang led by a wanted murderer.
Prime Minister Allawi has enunciated a security strategy that includes the offer of an amnesty for those who are minor offenders. He has also invited Al-Sadr to run in the upcoming elections. If charges against the militant cleric are dropped, he will no longer have to hide from arrest and can join freely in the political process. Washington will hate giving up on a man who has become such a bogey for them, but it is not Washington’s business. Dropping charges against Al-Sadr for the death of one man could save the lives of many more.
