Posted on 08/26/2004 7:25:09 PM PDT by blam
'Why did you bring us? This is a slaughter'
Ghaith Abdul-Ahad in Kufa
Friday August 27, 2004
The Guardian (UK)
They came one wave after another: Shia demonstrators with banners and pictures of their ayatollahs and imams running towards the hidden line of men who were marked only by flying bullets. Beating their chests and shouting "Allahu akbar" (God is most great) at first they appeared not to realise the barrage they were confronting.
When two or three men fell injured their colleagues picked them up and retreated.
Only when the gunfire became heavy and bullets started whizzing overhead, peppering the electricity poles and shredding leaves on the trees did the reality of their predicament dawn.
They were facing an onslaught.
A few tried to restart the human waves shouting: "If you denounce and betray your brothers today God will do the same on judgment day."
But the number of injured just increased. Every few seconds a group of men carrying a body ran past looking for an ambulance.
Many ran for cover, some grabbing the hands of their sons. More than 50 crouched in the front garden of one house sticking together against a wall. During any lull in the shooting they took their chance to scramble from one house to another and then to a back street where locals offered them water.
Some of the demonstrators had turned out to welcome back Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, while others were there to show support for Moqtada al-Sadr. All were trying to reach the gold-domed shrine of Imam Ali.
As the barrage faded, the divisions between the demonstrators began to appear.
"Why did you bring us here in the first place? This is a slaughter. If you knew this would happen why didn't you tell us to bring our weapons with us?" said a man as he was tried to get some water from a tap in the street.
"It is all Sistani's fault," said Ali Mizahim. "He told us to come here and he betrayed us again."
A small group sat under a tree and attempted to grasp what had happened: "We didn't come here for this. This is suicide. [Sistani] told us to wait," said Hussien al-Khafaji, a 50-year-old man from Hilla.
"What should we have done? Just wait to see our brothers being slaughtered in the shrine?" asked a young man with a Moqtada badge on his chest. A man shouted: "Withdraw - your brothers, the mujahideen, will take your revenge."
Looks like Sistani is going to have to choose a side now...
Al Sadr's men shoot the unarmed demonstrators... And one of Al Sadr's supporters blames us.
I think they did this on purpose.
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani probably wishes he hadn't come back.
Fool me once; shame on you....
These people are simply too stupid to be pulled out of the 12th century. How about simply building a 100 ft. wall around the entire country, then filling it full of water.
Too many holy people ...too much bloodshed
At least fill it up with a couple of feet of water then throw in a few million bars of soap.
Wait, this is all part of a "grand plan."
How dare you question the military commanders who are on the ground, you armchair General?
< /bush makes no mistakes, ever crowd>
Hate your tag line. You have a right to your opinion, but I don't have to like it.
Misleading thread title alert! I thought this was going to be about the U.S. "Dream Team".
We should have taken the gloves off with Al Sadr long ago.
This will turn them agains Sadr once and for all.
Man, those folk be dense.
There is a poll on FR and last I saw 91% was opposed to CFR. I'm glad you recognize that criticizing Bush on CFR does not necessarily make one a "one percenter."
In fact, those who defend him on CFR are in the very small minority around here.
You can make your point with one reply. Pushing your agenda on others grows old for those of us reading the rest of the replies.
Oh, what is my agenda, exactly?
If the truth hurts, skip over my posts.
Looks like it's time for a more sensitive war.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.