Civil War Begins in Iraq
by James Buchanan

A recent news article reports “A powerful explosion shattered the golden dome of one of Iraq’s most revered Shiite shrines yesterday, setting off sectarian fury in cities and towns across Iraq. Protesting mobs took to the streets to chant for revenge and set fire to dozens of Sunni mosques. The violence seemed to push Iraq closer to all-out civil war than at any point in the three years since the U.S.-led overthrow of Saddam Hussein. At least 19 people were killed and, ominously, some Shiite leaders accused the United States of being partly to blame. The bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad, left its famous golden dome in ruins…”

A bombing like this one, against the Askariya Shrine, a great Muslim cultural icon and a beautiful work of architecture by anyone’s standards, must have been done by criminals with a serious hatred for all Muslims. This atrocity was done almost certainly by the Israelis or CIA to inflame ethnic strife in Iraq.
At best this can be seen as a failure of the occupation authority to maintain order and protect Iraqi cultural monuments such as the great museum at Baghdad, which was looted shortly after the occupation. At worst, this incident could lead to a massive civil war with no end in sight and a big increase in casualties for American troops occupying Iraq. (more…)















