Update: 60 are dead in massive Baghdad bombings, probably by Sunni Arab guerrillas, as PM Nouri al-Maliki attempts to marginalize Sunnis politically
Is Iran a consideration in Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of Iraq’s attempt to purge high Sunni Arab officals from his government?
Al-Maliki has his own reasons for what he is doing. But it is possible that he is being pressured by Iran to do something about some Iraqi politicians.
The Iranian press, for instance, is convinced that one reason al-Maliki is trying to fire his vice premiere, Salih al-Mutlak, is that al-Mutlak supports the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK or MKO), an Islamic-Marxist political cult with several thousand members at a camp in Iran Iraq. Al-Maliki says he is determined to see the MEK out of Iraq. Saddam Hussein gave the base to the MEK and used them for espionage and terrorism against Iran. Al-Maliki originally insisted that the MEK depart by the first of the year, but has accepted a UN request to delay the expulsion until April. One problem is finding countries that will accept the MEK members, given that they are on terrorist watch lists, including that of the US State Department. But the European Union’s removal of the group from its terrorist list may help the relocation.
The Iraqi National Party or Iraqiya received some 80% of Sunni Arab votes in 2010, and most of its members of parliament and high officials support allowing the MEK Camp Ashraf to remain in Iraq.
Regarding Tariq al-Hashimi, one of two vice presidents, now under an arrest warrant, it is worth noting that he is strongly supporting the Syrian opposition and opposes al-Maliki’s recent backing of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad. Iran deeply depends on al-Assad for its Middle East policy and as a conduit of aid to Hizbullah in southern Lebanon.
On Wednesday, al-Maliki called upon Kurdistan authorities to turn al-Hashimi over to Iraq, in accordance with a warrant issued for his arrest.
Hashemi and Mutlak on Wednesday warned that al-Maliki’s recent moves against them could lead Sunni Arabs to secede from Iraq.
GOP hopeful Mitt Romney wants MEK taken off the terrorist list, wonder how this plays out in the international arena?
link to youtube.com
In Romney’s own cousin, R.B. Smith, own words Smith tells of Romney intentionally targeting Muslims to curry favor with hardliners. Quoting Mitt’s cousin “his (Mitt’s) alarming rhetoric was nothing more than crass manipulation, a conscious effort to grab headlines by provoking fear and uncertainty. Worse, his actions subjected many peaceful, law-abiding Muslims to ridicule, scorn, and suspicion.”
If Romney is wanting MKE off the terrorist list, does it mean Romney is planning, should he get in the White House,an attack Iran? I fear this is the case.
Since Romney’s only discernible conviction is that he should be in office, no matter what he says, you won’t know what he will do until he is in office.
I fear, as someone having experience with the Romney family, I do know what Romney will be doing.
Sadly, I do all ready know what he would be doing.
57 Iraqis killed in explosion today reminded me of an article from The Onion which read in part…The Iraqi Department of Homeland Security recently released a 10-level, color-coded homeland security advisory system that will alert citizens to the risk of a terrorist attack within Iraq’s borders. The country’s current threat level is elevated.
And then there is the classic quote…”Continued violence almost makes US invasion seem pointless.”
“Al-Maliki has his own reasons for what he is doing. But it is possible that he is being pressured by Iran to do something about some Iraqi politicians.” So what. If it wasn’t the Iranians pressuring Al-Maliki to do something then is sure as hell would be the US or perhaps Britain or the EU who have pressured Iraq to comply with their dictats for the past 20 odd years by bombing the hell out of Iraq and destroying it’s economy and infrastructure as well as murdering 100s of 1000s of it’s peoples in a totally illegal war.
Too bad we can’t talk to #Iran about the political crisis in #Iraq. Is the #CootiesDoctrine really in our interest?
“an Islamic-Marxist political cult with several thousand members at a camp in Iran. Al-Maliki says he is determined to see the MEK out of Iraq.”
Does he want people in a camp in Iran out of Iraq?
sorry, I meant Iraq
I like bashing Republicans for “supporting a terrorist group” as much as the next guy, but does the MEK really still belong on the State Department’s list?
When was their last terror attack?
C’mon, Joe, you know that the MEK, LIKE EVERY OTHER TERRORIST ORGANIZATION THAT OUR MIGHTY AND WISE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELOAN OBSCURITY PUTS ON THOSE CAREFULLY COMPOUNDED LISTS, MIGHT STRIKE AT ANY TIME, THAT’S WHY WE ARE CONDUCTING A $4 TRILLION-AND-COUNTING GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR!!!! BECAUSE THEY ARE OUT THERE, AND THEY ARE PLANNING STUFF EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY DAY EXCEPT WHEN THEY ARE KNEELING ON THEIR FUNNY LITTLE RUGS AND PRAYING TO THAT ALLAH GUY AND TRYING TO FORCE SHARIA LAW DOWN OUR THROATS SO WE HAVE TO STONE OUR WIVES AND CAN’T COLLECT INTEREST ON LOANS AND ALL THAT!!!!! IT DOESN’T MATTER WHEN THAT LAST ATTACK WAS, DON’T YOU GET IT? THEY ARE TERRORISTS!!!!!!
Sigh. And this is what I get.
Nobody, apparently, actually gives a damn about the truth when it comes to the MEK. Those people and their situation only exists as a launching pad to read off old note cards.
I guess the indicator got left off my little bit of satire above. Of course the truth about all of this matters, all the various bits and pieces of reality that get shuffled and dealt off the bottom of every deck in play in the world of “geopolitics.” But hey, fundamentally, most folks do not give a toot about the “realities,” the real nature of various groups in relation to one another and the survival of the species. The point is that the “lists” put together by the state security apparatus and the parties interested in the money to be made from encouraging fear and conflict are nothing but dreck, and only by random luck actually happen to include real actual sickies that do bombings and attacks on resorts and all the rest of the pot-stirring idiocy that keeps us all in a swivet. Of course, the list-makers pretty much are invested in other activities than actually doing the stuff that over time would reduce (you can never eliminate it entirely) the aberrant viciousness of some of our fellow critters.
“Snark” indicator, that is.