US Attack on Husseayyniat al Mustafa

Abbas Kadhim *Calling It Like It Is*: "The Iraqi official TV (al-Iraqiyya) displayed some carnage in a Shi'i mosque (husayniyyat al-Mustafa) where the men inside claim that US and Iraqi forces attacked the place during a service held for the anniversary of the Prophet's death. A man said that the attacking forces used excessive force and killed many people, including the custodian and some worshippers.

The TV said 17 people were killed although the film shows about ten men of different age categories whose ID cards show their affiliation with the Da'wa Party and the Council for Iraqi Tribes. The TV seems to condemn the act and agree with the claims from the mosque. The sub-title called the dead 'martyrs,' a sign of taking their side, displ;aying the film more than five times as they tried to reach Hazim al-Araji, the spokesperson of the Sadr Movement.

Jawad al-Maliki, a high-ranking member in the Shi'i coalition (UIA), claimed that the 17 people 'were executed deliberately.' He claimed that the forces burned the office of the Da'wa party, accusing the forces to attempt to create a political crisis. He blamed US Ambassador Khalilzad for the incident without saying why. He called for a comprehensive investigation, urging Iraqis to remain vigilant. He said that the reason given for the incident is utterly unacceptable -- the forces were said to be chasing a fugitive who was hiding in the mosque.

This can be trouble, not because of the graphic images and involvement of US forces, but because the mosque seems to be affiliated with the Sadr Movement and some of the dead belong to the Da'wa Party, the party of Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari. This may be interpreted as an attack on the new coalition between Sadr and Ja'fari in the context of the formation of the new government. The US was vocal in its opposition to the nomination of Ja'a"