Some amazing news out of Iraq.
Apparently the major players have decided to back the government and turn against the terrorists. Allawi has turned from the man who held us back in Fallujah to one who is ready to get tough.
U.S. Marines attacked the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah with airstrikes on Friday, and Iraq's new government again strongly hinted that it would declare martial law, but said nothing about its timing or scope.For the last several days, officials of the Iraqi interim government, including Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, have indicated they would declare a state of emergency, saying that, at a minimum, it could include a curfew, checkpoints and a ban on public demonstrations.
Even better news. Check this, Al Sistani himself says Zarqawi et. al. are 'filthy infidels who nurture malignance against Shi'ite followers'. Exactly Bob!
The Shi'ite dominated south has been largely quiet, and we've seen a very important development here over the past 24 hours. A spokesman for Iraq's most influential Shi'tie leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has called al-Qaeda's leadership – Osama bin Laden, but also Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who operates here in Iraq – 'filthy infidels who nurture malignance against Shi'ite followers'. So you're seeing very publicly an attack – a verbal attack – matching, if you like, the military attacks that the US has been making on these people.
Belmont Club, who is the one that put me on to this story, has this unattributed snippet:
At a Friday prayer meeting in Karbala, a spokesman for Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani told worshipers that Al Qaeda's top leaders are "filthy infidels". He names Osama bin Laden and the Jordanian-born terrorist purportedly operating in Iraq, Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi. He says they are "bastards" who "nurture malignance" against Shiite Muslims. A prominent Shiite leader was assassinated in Iraq on Thursday night. Al Qaeda's leadership is made up of Sunni Muslims from the Wahabi sect.
The worm has turned. The terrorists are over. We just have to wait it out.
It'll be interesting to see if the media gives this story any play at all.