• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

The Iraqi Murder of Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Al-Sadr and His Sons

Iraq News, FEBRUARY 22, 1999

The central focus of Iraq News is the tension between the considerable, proscribed WMD capabilities that Iraq is holding on to and its increasing stridency that it has complied with UNSCR 687 and it is time to lift sanctions. If you wish to receive Iraq News by email, a service which includes full-text of news reports not archived here, send your request to Laurie Mylroie .

II.  SADDAM'S REGIME ASSASSINATES GRAND AYATOLLAH AL-SADR, IBC, FEB 20
III. SADDAM'S REGIME KILLS 27 IN PROTESTS, IBC, FEB 21
IV.  RIOTS ROCK BAGHDAD, LONDON SUNDAY TIMES, FEB 21
   There will be a demonstration today, in Wash DC, protesting the Iraqi 
murder of Grand Ayatollah Muhammad al-Sadr and his two sons.  It will 
begin at 12:00 PM in Lafayette Park, across from the White House.
   The angry threat issued by the Iraqi leadership, Feb 14 [see "Iraq 
News," Feb 14], was reiterated over the past week, above all by 
Vice-President Taha Yasin Ramadan.  The threats are serious, even as 
"Iraq News" has been delayed in analyzing them, largely because of 
assistance given in an INS proceeding.  
...................
  "Iraq News" will shortly discuss the threats Baghdad has issued over 
the past week, but this issue focuses on the Iraqi regime's murder of 
Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Al-Sadr and his two sons, which led to riots in 
Iraq yesterday and the day before.
   Muhammed al-Sadr was a relative of Baqir al-Sadr, a prominent Iraqi 
Shi'a cleric, who, along with his sister, was killed by the Iraqi regime 
in the spring of 1980.  Muhammed al-Sadr collected their bodies from the 
regime then, in closed coffins, which he was forbidden to open.     
   Following the death in 1992 of Grand Ayatollah Abul al-Qassim 
al-Khoei, Baghdad sought to promote Muhammad Al-Sadr, believing that it 
could manipulate and use him.  He was able to operate in Iraq, open 
offices, appear on TV, and he became popular, prompting some jealousy 
from Baqir al-Hakim, the SAIRI leader in exile in Tehran.  Some six 
months ago, Muhammad Al-Sadr became increasingly vocal in pushing Shi'a 
issues and incurred the wrath of the regime.  Some 10 days ago, he was 
in touch with the INC.  He had been encouraged by the Iraq Liberation 
Act and wanted to work with them.
   As the NYT, from Cairo, today, reported, "Sadr was highly respected 
among Shiites, who have virtually been excluded from a ruling Iraqi 
elite that is made up almost entirely of the minority Sunni Muslims.  
Until recently, the ayatollah had been seen to be closely aligned with 
the Iraqi government, which in 1992 appointed him as the country's 
leading Shiite cleric. "
   As the Iraqi Broadcasting Corp (IBC) reported, Feb 20, Grand 
Ayatollah Muhammed Al-Sadr and his two sons were assassinated late on 
the evening of Feb 18, in Najaf.  Unrest followed in Al-Thawra City, a 
poor Shi'ite quarter of Baghdad, and in other parts of Baghdad as well. 
There was also unrest in the southern cities of Nassiriya, Kufa, and 
Najaf.  
   As the IBC reported, Feb 21, the unrest continued for a second day, 
with 27 killed in Al-Thawra City yesterday.
   As the London Sunday Times, Feb 21, reported, Grand Ayatollah Al-Sadr 
is the fourth Shi'ite cleric to be killed in Iraq since last April. 
Youssef al-Khoei, grandson of the previous Grand Ayatollah and head of 
the London-based al-Khoei Foundation, explained, "It is the biggest 
persecution of religious leaders anywhere in the world and nobody is 
doing anything about it."
II. SADDAM'S REGIME ASSASSINATES GRAND AYATOLLAH AL-SADR
Iraqi Broadcasting Corporation
Saddam's regime assassinates Grand Ayatollah Seyyid Muhammad Al-Sadr
Muslims masses defy the regime and demonstrate in Baghdad, Nassiriya and 
Kufa
Sulaymania -February 20th, 1999
   Saddam's tyrannical regime has assassinated Grand Ayatollah Seyyid 
Muhammad Al-Sadr and two of his sons late in the evening on February 
18th, 1999, in the Holy Shrine City of Najaf.
   An IBC correspondent in Baghdad reported that hundreds of citizens 
angrily demonstrated against the assassination of Grand Ayatollah 
Al-Sadr in the suburb of Thawra City and in separate incidences in 
Baghdad, Kadhimayn and Al-Shulla, which forced the regime to cordon off 
Thawra City with a combined force of the Special Republican Guards (SRG) 
and the Special Security Organization (SSO). Clashes erupted between 
unarmed civilians and Saddam's heavily armed forces leading to numerous 
deaths and injuries. These clashes are still ongoing up to the writing 
of this report.
   Our correspondents in Nassiriya, Kufa and Najaf in Southern Iraq also 
report that a large demonstration broke out in Nassiriya today and 
several injuries occurred, with many arrests.Najaf and Kufa were 
besieged by forces of the Republican Guard due to the mounting and 
explosive atmosphere of grievance and unrest.
   Seyyid Al-Sadr had defied Saddam's authority in the last few months 
while the regime increased measures to harass him and his followers all 
over Iraq.
   On February 12th, 1999, a combined force of SRG and Special Security 
Organization cadres were led by the criminal Muhammad Hamza Al-Zubaidi, 
went to the Kufa mosque to prevent the faithful from conducting their 
prayers under the direction of Seyyid Al-Sadr.
   However, his holiness insisted on maintaining the prayers and giving 
the Friday sermon. He also encouraged all the citizens to fulfill this 
holy duty in all the parts of Iraq to defy the orders of the regime. And 
following on that, the regime's forces took the following measures:
   --The arrest of the Friday Imam in Nassiriya City, the scholar Aws 
Al-Khafaji, who is the representative of Ayatollah Seyyid Muhammad 
Al-Sadr. When the Ja'afarite Jurisprudence Judge of Nassiriya, Sheikh 
As'ad Al-Nassiri, heard of the arrest, he proceeded to the Security 
Headquarters of Nassiriya Province with several supporters to protest 
and demand the release of the representative of Seyyid Muhammad Al-Sadr. 
The repressive security forces fired several rounds in the air to 
disperse the demonstrators and then proceeded to arrest Seyyid Aqeel 
Al-Mousawi and Sheikh Ahmed Shamkhani, both of whom are members of 
Seyyid Al-Sadr's office in the city.
  ---In the city of Kut, the security forces tried to prevent the Friday 
prayers usually led by Seyyid Kadhim Al-Safi, the representative of 
Ayatollah Al-Sadr, leading to several arrests as the citizens resisted 
the orders.
  ---In Al-Baya' suburb of Baghdad, Sheikh Muayyad Al-Khazraji was 
prevented from holding the Friday prayers since he did not mention the 
tyrant Saddam in his supplications. The Mosque was also shut down.
  ---In 'Amara, Sheikh Adnan Semkhani was arrested and Seyyid Al-Sadr's 
office was closed with the arrest of several employees including Sheikh 
Nadim Al-Sa'adi and Seyyid Hassan Muhammadawi who were later released.
  ---In Al-Sha'ab suburb of Baghdad, the security forces prevented the 
holding of the Friday prayers in the Al-Sha'ab City Mosque, which drove 
the citizens to hold the prayer in an adjoining street in defiance of 
the arrest of Seyyid Ali Al-Shoki, the imam of the mosque and the 
representative of Ayatollah Al-Sadr.