Moqtada al-Sadr: It seems that his party's military wing - the Mahdi

Army - has begun to target his Shiite rivals in the Badr Brigade with

Iranian-supplied weapons.

Kitabat, Iraq

Iran's Meddling in Iraq

Blows Up in its Face …

"Iranian officials should pay greater respect to Iraq and its people. … As the proverb says: 'He who digs a hole for another will fall into it himself.'"

By Ali Abdulkarim Albadri

Translated By James Jacobson

August 26, 2007

Kitabat - Iraq - Original Article (Arabic)

Iran's has an influential role on the Iraqi stage and everyone knows it. With all of its power, Iran has long interfered in Iraqi affairs, assiduously imposing its own policies and point of view on successive Iraqi governments.

After the fall and death of the tyrant, Tehran stepped up its interference. As the level of American influence increased, the amount and impact of Iranian interference also rose, as Tehran sought to assure itself of a share of the Iraqi pie.

Iranian intervention has a number of dimensions, including a military one, in which Tehran continuously works to destabilize Iraq's security situation. But unlike the Americans and British, Iranian meddling is indirect and takes shape in the under-the-table supply of weapons, funding and even advisers and experts.

It is known that Iran wants to keep America stuck in the Iraqi quagmire as long as possible. Whenever Iraq tries to stand up, Iran deals it a strong-enough blow to knock it back down; and whenever the Americans try to calm the situation in Iraq, Tehran fabricates a crisis or conflict to keep eyes focused on Iraq - and off of Iran.

Another form of intervention practiced by Iran is to assist armed groups connected to the Mahdi Army , which has leaders that are well-connected to Iran [including Muqtadr al-Sadr]. The leaders of these groups take orders directly from Iranian intelligence. Iran has opened several camps and training centers to instruct these groups in urban warfare, the setting up of booby traps and the use of armor-piercing weapons. These trainees have succeeded in hitting British and American forces, especially in Basra, where the British are preparing to leave the city after absorbing tremendous damage from Iranian weapons.

As a result of infighting between Badr Brigade forces  and the Mahdi Army over Iraq's southern regions, Mahdi Army members have directed some of these Iranian weapons against Badr Brigade personnel and the headquarters of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council [the Badr Brigade is the Council's military wing ]. During the 1980s and 90s, leaders of the Badr Brigade were trained to take over Iraq's leadership after the anticipated fall of the tyrant Saddam in schools run by Iranian intelligence.

Among these figures were the governors of Diwaniya and Samawa provinces [Khalil Jalil Hamza and Mohammed Ali al-Hassani], who were killed by elements of the Mahdi Army with Iranian booby traps made especially for tanks and armored vehicles. Such attacks nearly always hit their targets, and this strike on the governors took them out very effectively. [Killed in separate attacks], both governors were Badr Brigade leaders and therefore had to have been 100 percent loyal to Iran and the implementation of the plans of Iranian Intelligence in Iraq.

After all that has happened to Iran and its agents in Iraq, Iranian officials should pay greater respect to Iraq and its people. As long as these notorious booby traps and rockets kill innocent Iraqis - including innocent women and children - and as long as they destroy the homes of Allah's blessed followers in Iraq, from his watchtower, the exalted almighty will make sure that the stone that is thrown kills the one who throws it. As the proverb says: "He who digs a hole for another will fall into it himself."

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