Thousands of followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr marched in mourning on Friday. They bereaved the death of Sadrist parliament member Saleh al Ugaili. The man was known as a moderate voice among the Sadr movement, a man of reason, his colleagues say.
Sadrists accused the Americans of killing Ugaili because of their opposition to a security agreement being negotiated between the United States and Iraq.
Ugaili was killed in an attack by a motorcycle-rigged with explosives. He was transported to the hospital but died on Thursday evening. His body was taken to the holy city of Najaf on Friday to be buried in the Valley of Peace, the largest Shiite Muslim cemetery in the world.
As men walked through the streets in eastern Baghdad a statement by Muqtada was read:
"Here is another star that brightens in the sky of martyrs, of Sadr followers and the sons of Iraq. Another martyr waters the land of Iraq with his blood, a martyr that sacrifices himself for the sake of Iraq and the people of Iraq, a martyr that gave all of his time to expel the occupier and not to sign agreements with him."
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki formed a committee to investigate the death. We will probably never know who killed Ugaili. Just as it is unclear who are behind the assassinations in Iraq right now. Who is sticking magnetic bombs on peoples' cars? Who are shooting officials and civilians with weapons equipped with silencers? The questions are clear, why and who benefits? The answers are so much more murky.
first note i have ever seen with regards to silencers on guns and folks being killed personal and up close. most all you hear is bombs and other such explosives.
Posted by: howell clark | April 04, 2009 at 12:53 PM