Monday, September 08, 2003

A deadline worth watching

This Saturday, a "coalition" policy of disarmament goes into effect in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq, site of the recent bombing that killed the Shiites' important cleric, Ayatollah al-Hakim. The decree was put off for a week after the bombing, but now will be enforced, says the Army.
But it's not going to be obeyed, say the Shiites. No way will they leave their religious leaders exposed to attack, since there have been repeated attempts on the lives of their imams (the bombing that killed al-Hakim was the second attempt), and the US has proven itself incapable of providing protection.
The disarmament will initially be effectuated by Iraqi police (that will be fun to watch--a civil war), then by the US Army if necessary. What's Arabic for "my cold, dead hand"?

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