Iranian backed Shiite opposition boycotts US meeting

Financial Review ^ | 4/14/03 | Financial Review

[freedom44]

The biggest Iraqi Shi'ite opposition group says it will boycott a US-hosted meeting of opposition factions on Tuesday.

It also says it will not recognise a US-installed interim administration for Iraq.

A senior leader of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution of Iraq, Abdul Aziz Hakim, told a news conference on Monday his group would not be going to the meeting of US officials and Iraqi political parties opposed to ousted President Saddam Hussein in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah.

"We will not attend the meeting in Nasiriyah because the Iraqi people won't accept preparations for an administration imposed by foreigners. It is against Iraq's independence," said Hakim, who is a younger brother of the council's leader, Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim.

"We have informed the Americans of our decision," Hakim said.

Hakim, who heads the council's military wing - the Badr Corps, said his group would also not accept the interim administration, headed by retired US General Jay Garner, that is expected to begin operating in Baghdad within the next two weeks.

"We will not accept a foreign-imposed administration. Iraq needs an Iraqi interim government. Anything other than this tramples on the rights of the Iraqi people and will be a return to the era of colonialisation," Hakim said.

He said the Garner-run administration would violate agreements reached last year in London when Iraqi opposition groups "agreed that an all-Iraqi transitional government will replace Saddam Hussein, not a US-imposed one".

Hakim said his group did not believe the US and British forces should stay in Iraq "even for one day after the criminal Saddam regime is totally uprooted". But the Badr Corps would not fight the US-led coalition forces.

"Our policy, for the time being, is to avoid armed clashes with them," Hakim said.

Early on in the war in Iraq, which began on March 20, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld warned Iran not to allow the Badr Corps to cross the border into Iraq. The council, which is based in Tehran, is reputed to have thousands of Badr Corps fighters in Iran.

Asked whether he would be sending Badr corps fighters into Iraq, Hakim said: "We have troops inside Iraq, 10 times more than we have in Iran. We don't need to send any troops across the border."

The council has never revealed the troop strength of the Badr Corps. In interviews, both Abdul Aziz Hakim and Ayatollah al-Hakim have said the group has "tens of thousands" of fighters.

[freedom44]

Ayatollah Hakim is an extremely dangerous individual and we should be careful in siding with groups of vigilantes who have very close relations to the hard-liners in Iran.

[freedom44]

on or off iran ping

[freedom44]

on or off iran ping

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[aynrandfreak]

It's sobering to hear that, but they know that if they attack us, we'll have justification to go into Iran.

[smalltown]

Asked whether he would be sending Badr corps fighters into Iraq, Hakim said: "We have troops inside Iraq, 10 times more than we have in Iran. We don't need to send any troops across the border."

IF SO, FIND THEM AND KILL THEM. STARTING WITH THEIR LEADERS.

[EternalVigilance]

Good. Don't want such people in the new Free Iraqi government in any case.

If men such as this had their way, they would fill the vacuum left by the destruction of the Baathists with something even darker and more evil.

If they want to marginalize themselves, so much the better.

Their barely veiled threats reveal their true nature.

[Burkeman1]

First- who is this guy? He wasn't in Iraq before our invasion was he? Is he an exile? How do we know his group is the "biggest"? Is that the "biggest" exile group? No organized resistance could exist in Iraq with Sadaam in power. So how many "troops" could he have in Iraq? Is he talking about exiles returing to IRaq too fight fcor him or Iranian infiltrators? This article leaves much unanswered and I can't even judge if this guy is a real threat.

[Nick Danger]

This is not helpful. They don't even have the electricity back on in some of these towns, and already we have grandstanding warlord-wannabes with private armies spouting bluster. Iraq needs a George Washington, and this guy is offering Caliph of New Amsterdam. He needs to be flicked away.

[Ethyl]

Early on in the war in Iraq, which began on March 20, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld warned Iran not to allow the Badr Corps to cross the border into Iraq. The council, which is based in Tehran, is reputed to have thousands of Badr Corps fighters in Iran.

Asked whether he would be sending Badr corps fighters into Iraq, Hakim said: "We have troops inside Iraq, 10 times more than we have in Iran. We don't need to send any troops across the border."

The council has never revealed the troop strength of the Badr Corps. In interviews, both Abdul Aziz Hakim and Ayatollah al-Hakim have said the group has "tens of thousands" of fighters.


If these "badr corps" are soo bad, er, why didn't they unseat sadam in the first place????????????? Something to watch, but methinks they are not as badr as their barkr.

[freedom44]

He's the head of the SCIRI a radical Islamists group founded in 1979 by Ayatollah in Iran to aid in the overthrow of Saddam and replace it with a hard-line functioning government like the one in Iran at that time.

He's actually not of Iranian background or Persian ethnicity. He's an Iraqi Arab who was exiled from Iraq beacuse of his extremist views.

Unfortuantely somehow or another his group of radicals received a position in the future of Iraq (or so we're told).

Hopefully this doesn't happen.

[Burkeman1]

OK- so this guy is an exile. I think he might be blowing smoke about his "troops". It hasn't been a week since Baghdad fell and this guy is talking about his "army"? I am not saying he is not a threat and I am very concerned about Iran and her influence in Iraq among the Shia population- but this guy sounds almost clownish when he talks about his "troops" and who he will or won't support.

[Burkeman1]

OK- so this guy is an exile. I think he might be blowing smoke about his "troops". It hasn't been a week since Baghdad fell and this guy is talking about his "army"? I am not saying he is not a threat and I am very concerned about Iran and her influence in Iraq among the Shia population- but this guy sounds almost clownish when he talks about his "troops" and who he will or won't support.

[M Kehoe]

Come on Hakim, let's talk. I'm sure we can work something out.

Then again Hakim, there is a little problem with that embassy thing. I'm still having trouble getting over that. You know Hakim, that 444 days thing. Taking over sovereign ground and holding Americans hostage.

Methinks this time Hakim, there are a few more Marines to your west than were at the embassy in '79. Oh, and I forgot about V Corps. Oh, and the 4 Mech. ID.

I hope you, the mullahs and the rest of your group wise up quickly.

5.56mm

[whadizit]

"Don't want such people in the new Free Iraqi government in any case."

Absolutely! They do not have the interests of the country at heart, just themselves.

This guy has PMS or something.

[snooker]

I sense some of these nutcases are on their way to combatant status.

[whadizit]

I had a feeling yesterday when those protestors outside Palestine Hotel were yelling for an Islamic government and "Down with USA" that this was started by such groups as the one mentioned here.

[Naspino]

These guys are all Darwin candidates. You witness the US demolish the army thats oppressed you for 30 years in only 3 weeks using only conventional weapons. You then have a chance to take part in a new government for the first time in 30 years and what do you do -- say that you won't accept an Iraq controlled by a foreign government and yet YOU yourself are backed by one. Maroons..

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

A little cross border incursion is in order here with these religious freaks. I am sick to death of stupid and ignorant religious nuts.

[ggekko]

Iran will use every power lever and proxy at its disposal to attempt to destabilize the fledgling Iraqi government. The new provisional adminsitration will need to get its intelligence apparatus up and running as soon as possible and not be afraid to take stern measures against such agent provocateurs.