-Caveat Lector- Print this article | Close this window Iraq's Shiite opposition in show of force
March 16 2003 Hundreds of fighters from Iraq's main Shiite Muslim opposition faction put on a rare show of military force at their northern Iraqi base yesterday, with their leadership vowing they would act independently of the United States in the battle against Saddam Hussein. During a rare public parade by the Al-Badr Brigade, the armed wing of the Iran-based Supreme Assembly of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SAIRI), the group's number two said his well-disciplined army would quickly move to secure areas captured from the Iraqi regime in the hours following a US assault. "We will do it our way. We have our own plans," Abdul Aziz al-Hakim told reporters at the Al-Badr Brigade's recently installed base in a lush green valley near Darbandikhan, in the southeast of the Kurdish autonomous zone close to the Iranian border. "The message is that it is Iraqis who should oust Saddam Hussein. Our role will be real participation, and we do not need outside help," al-Hakim said. "We are not going to sit here and wait, we will be providing on the ground security." When asked if his group was in any way coordinating its armed operations with Washington, he boasted that "on the level of field actions, there is no specific agreement with any country because we don't need it". The Al-Badr Brigade, which has up to now been largely kept out of the public eye, is believed to number between 10,000 and 15,000 fighters. Many of the fighters based here crossed from Iran in recent months in the countdown to an anticipated US-led war aimed at toppling the Iraqi president. SAIRI is also engaged in talks with Iran on allowing more of its fighters to cross into either northern or southern Iraq, officials here said. The parade outside Darbandikhan, 45km south of Sulaymaniya, included some 800 fighters from the militia's Imam Ali unit. They were carrying Kalashnikov assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, heavy machine guns and communications equipment. Most of the fighters, who appeared to have been recently equipped with new uniforms and weapons, were in their 30s or early 40s. Dozens of new Japanese-made pick-ups, mounted with recoilless rifles, mortars and rocket launchers also rolled past a podium of SAIRI leaders to the beat of a small military band. Darbandikhan is situated in the southeast of the Kurdish autonomous enclave in an area controlled by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) of Jalal Talabani. The PUK and the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party of Masoud Barzani have divided control of much of northern Iraq since the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf war. AFP This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/03/15/1047583741047.html Forwarded for your information. The text and intent of the article have to stand on their own merits. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe simply because it has been handed down for many genera- tions. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumoured by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is written in Holy Scriptures. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of teachers, elders or wise men. Believe only after careful observation and analysis, when you find that it agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all. Then accept it and live up to it." The Buddha on Belief, from the Kalama Sutra <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http://archive.jab.org/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http://archive.jab.org/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
