Wednesday, April 7, 2004
Muslim Rivals Unite In Baghdad Uprising (washingtonpost.com)
On Monday, residents of Adhamiya, a largely Sunni section of northern Baghdad, marched with followers of Moqtada Sadr, the militant Shiite cleric whose call for armed resistance was answered by local Sunnis the same afternoon, residents said...
Later the article goes on to describe disenchantment with the Governing Council, as well as "the occupation" - which puts everything into a little better context. Merely being against the occupation doesn't make a lot of sense as a complete explanation for the fighting when the fact is that sovereignty is destined to be handed over in any case. When you understand that some are looking down to June 30, and don't like what they see there, either, even under the most ideal handover imaginable. It's not acceptable for Iran and other outsiders, and it's certainly not acceptable for those who want a situation in the old style where their tribe will dominate, or their religious leader will dictate. So now is their final chance to take up arms and force their solution, or at least gum up the works. They need to be crushed. The trouble is doing so while still understanding that the mass of Iraqis are not our enemies.
