One Of Al Sadr’s Top Dogs/Partners Assasinated - With Video
Pop Quiz! What, if anything, does this tell you?
Related: Al Sadr Blames U.S. For Partner’s Assassination
BAGHDAD (AP) - A senior aide to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr was assassinated Friday in the holy city of Najaf, officials said. Authorities immediately announced a citywide curfew and security forces were seen deploying on the streets.
The killing threatened to raise tensions amid a violent standoff between al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army militia and the U.S.-backed Iraqi government.
Riyadh al-Nouri, the director of al-Sadr’s office in Najaf, was gunned down as he drove home after attending Friday prayers in the adjacent city of Kufa, a police officer and a local Sadrist official said. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Al-Sadr has his headquarters in Najaf, but the shrines in that city are dominated by a rival Shiite group and most of his followers are concentrated in Kufa.
Al-Nouri and a top al-Sadr lieutenant, Sheik Mustafa al-Yacoubi, were detained by American forces in April 2004 in the killing a year earlier of a moderate Shiite cleric, Sheik Abdul-Majid al-Khoei, in Najaf shortly after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
An arrest warrant was issued for al-Sadr himself but never served.
That along with the closing by U.S. authorities of al-Sadr’s newspaper triggered a massive uprising that engulfed Shiite areas of central and southern Iraq. Several thousand people were killed before the rebellion was finally suppressed, and the two men were released in 2005.
Al-Sadr’s spokesman in Najaf, Salah al-Obeidi, said the United States bore responsibility for Friday’s killing because of its continued presence in Iraq. Al-Obeidi said the cleric appealed for calm and ordered his followers “not to be dragged into others’ plots.”
Police said al-Nouri was driving his car alone and had passed through two of their checkpoints before heading for the residential part of the city in which he lived. The gunmen were waiting for near his home, where no security forces were present.
Meanwhile, sporadic clashes between Iraqi security forces and militia fighters broke out for a sixth day in the Mahdi Army strongholds of Baghdad’s Sadr City and the southern port city of Basra.
Also the British military said a helicopter had hit a group of gunmen in the Hayaniyah district of central Basra overnight, killing six of them.
“They were positively identified as an active mortar team,” British military spokesman Maj. Tom Holloway said.
The southern port city was the scene of fierce combat when Iraqi government forces launched a weeklong offensive against Shiite militias on March 25. British forces also took part in the fighting.
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Al Sadr ain’t shit. The Iranians used him as a pawn.
April 11th, 2008 at 9:14 amWill you leave poor Pavarotti alone??
The poor guy’s barely cold in the grave … Besides, his teeth
are/were waaay better than Mookie’s 
April 11th, 2008 at 9:16 amSince he was suspected in connection with the al-Khoei murder, I betting this is some simple payback. Maybe the Mookster is looking weak enough that they figured the time was right. Sounds like a good kill either way.
April 11th, 2008 at 9:46 am“What does this tell you?”
It tells you that most of these “clerics” are no better than the scumbag terrorists in that they will preach peace but kill their own people, I wouldnt be the least bit suprised if Al Sadr put a hit on his own man because he is losing support in his fight over the U.S.
He is now saying that the killing is our fault…..
April 11th, 2008 at 10:09 amThe photo tells me that Iraqi’s are fans of the opera.
The story tells me that the Iraqis or the US took the guy out or maybe it was an inside job of Quds with the someone getting ready to flip to the other side.
More than likely the brains of the Sadr faction went with the bullet.
April 11th, 2008 at 10:42 amAl Sadr is “neeeexxxxxxxxttt…” is what that tells me.
April 11th, 2008 at 10:45 amdoesn’t matter who killed the pig bastard, al sadr your next you f’en pig
April 11th, 2008 at 10:49 amI think the Pavarotti photos showing up all over the world is awesome. Typical Irish sarcastic humor. I love it.
April 11th, 2008 at 11:31 amWhat am I missing? Why are all these guys carrying around pictures of the opera tenor Pavarotti, I thought music was un-islamic?
April 11th, 2008 at 11:47 amMookie’s cell phone “Circle of Friends” is diminishing? He’s having a real hard time finding someone to go out and have wings and beer with …
April 11th, 2008 at 11:56 amThat Iran is done with tubbie and his co-horts…
April 11th, 2008 at 12:19 pmA little “thinkin’ ’bout ya” card to mookie.
April 11th, 2008 at 12:41 pmmookie, mookie, you in deep dookie!
It tells me, from the photo, that he didn’t leave his little boy slave many clothes upon departure.
April 11th, 2008 at 1:06 pmBash
Will you leave poor Pavarotti alone??
:lol:
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Have to agree with Drillanwr on this one.
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When Sadr dies.. sooner the better… I’m buying the
Funny thing is.. I don’t think our troops will be the ones to do it. I think it will be some average fed up Iraqi. And that will be the strongest message to the clerics who may think about replacing him that could be sent. Time to put religious control aside and have a government that allows all the people to just live. I truly believe that is what the Iraqis want. And they are more and more expressing that after years of living in fear of expressing any thoughts. They will soon have the courage to be more vocal. It has started…
April 11th, 2008 at 2:23 pm“The killing threatened to raise tensions amid a violent standoff between al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army militia and the U.S.-backed Iraqi government.”
Fucking AP. If it is necessary to write US-backed Iraqi government then why not write IRAN-BACKED Mahdi Army militia as well. Both are accurate.
April 11th, 2008 at 4:11 pmAnd notice how the AP writer is conveniently able to quote a Mookie pretend militia spokesman but doesn’t even bother to quote any Iraqi Government official. AP is just a propaganda wing for anyone that opposes a free Iraq.
Phil, you got that right. Thats why I pay no attention to Big Media.
Is there a defense fund for the hitter? Count me in if so…
April 11th, 2008 at 4:34 pm