December 17, 2005


KARACHI - A Shi'ite militia has drawn up plans to kill prominent Sunni leaders and eliminate a nascent Sunni political party, according to a document obtained by Asia Times Online from a person close to the Iraqi resistance.

The document, which has not been officially acknowledged, carries the letterhead of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), the political party of which the Badr

Organization is the armed wing. The SCIRI is headed by Shi'ite cleric Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim, a leading contender to become Iraq's next premier. Recently, a secret prison allegedly run by elements in the Iraqi Interior Ministry loyal to the SCIRI was discovered.

One of Hakim's main opponents is former prime minister Iyad Allawi, a secular US-backed politician who leads a broad multi-ethnic coalition of Shi'ites, Sunnis and Kurds.

The document obtained by Asia Times Online, dated November 6, says, "After Eid ul-Fitr [the end of the holy month of Ramadan at the end of November] the people whose names are listed below are under observation. These people belong to movements which are suspected. They are the people because of whom a deviant group has emerged which is destined to destroy the peace of the country and suspend the functions of the government.

"These people started their [sabotage] activities soon after the respected [Ibrahim] Jaafari government was established. Their evil and deviant activities were not helped by God nor with any support from the pious family members [of the Prophet Mohammed] , while our leader Syed Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim already opposed this group. This group was established with the name of the Islamic Party [of Iraq - the Iraqi branch of the Muslim Brotherhood] with broader aims and is also involved in terror activities. They also hold meetings of Muslim scholars. They hold meetings at the residence of Khalid Jamal al-Ubiedi, who is prayer leader of Tabarak mosque in the region of Doura Street 62 and is a challenge."

The Islamic Party of Iraq, from the central regions of the country, is expected to do well in this week's elections for a new 275-member National Assembly that will serve a four-year term. [1] This would give political representation and legitimacy to the resistance in the legislature, and complicate US designs for Iraq.

The document continues: "The information we acquired demands that the office of the Islamic Party established in this region should be shut so that Muslims and Christians can lead a secure life. This is very much in line with Iraqi law section number 618.

"The people under observation are:

1 Al-Shiekh Jamal Khalid al-Ubaidi
2 Abdul Qadir Mehmood al-Khalidi
3 Omar Saleem al-Hizbul Islami (Islamic Party of Iraq)
4 Sohaib Jamal al-Ubaidi (son of Jamal Khalid al-Ubaidi)
5 Abdul Sattar Shakir al-Douri (Muslim Scholars Association)
6 Nadam Qasim Dilshad al-Hizbul Islami al-Kurdi (Islamic Party of Kurdistan)
7 Abdullah Ibrahim Hamadi, former ruler of the region during former regime.

"In the meantime, an attack was organized on the lives of Sohaib Jamal al-Ubaidi and his father Khalid Jamal al-Ubaidi. The attack was supported by the national intelligence service. Now we are looking forward for your opinion on Abdullah Ibrahim Hamadi and Abdul Sattar al-Douri, who are responsible for the bloodshed in the al-Amirya region.

" We do promise to our leaders Syed Abd al-Aziz Hakim and Hadi al-Ameri our obedience. What we are doing is for the service of our brothers and for the service of the descendants of Imam Hussain and Hasan who belong to the Shi'ite nobility and spread all over Iraq. We promise to protect our brothers like a fort against all unscrupulous elements so that our top leadership will be protected, and so too the government of Syed Ibrahim al-Jaafari."

Aiming for pilots

According to contacts that Asia Times Online spoke to in Iraq, the activities of the Badr Organization against Arab Sunnis started with the targeting of former Iraqi Air Force officers and pilots. Several of the pilots were assassinated, including some who had flown aircraft to Iran for safekeeping during the first Gulf War in 1991. A number of these Iraqi pilots and officers had been trained in Pakistan during the 1980s.

The contacts said that over three dozen former Iraqi Air Force personnel have been killed. The Iraqi resistance is sure that the Badr Organization is behind most of the killings, having been provided information on some of the targets by Iranian intelligence.

However, the Iraqi resistance is surprised how a list of the officers trained in Pakistan was handed over to Badr. The only possible conduit is Pakistan's cooperation with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) under which it provided the list to the CIA, and it was then passed on to Badr.

Note

[1] Turnout in the 10 hours of voting on Thursday was at least 10 million, or 67%, the head of Iraq's electoral commission said. Only 58% voted in the January election, which most Sunni Arabs boycotted. The results of the elections are not expected to be known for more than a week.

Syed Saleem Shahzad, Bureau Chief, Pakistan Asia Times Online. He can be reached at saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com

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