Antichrist’s Men Kill Iraqi Guard

PM attends funeral ceremony of top guard killed in clashes with Shiite militias

 

Baghdad (Iraqinews.com) – Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi attended on Wednesday the funeral ceremony of one of his top bodyguards, who was killed in clashes with the Shiite militia of Saraya al-Salam (Peace Brigades) earlier on Tuesday.
In a statement, a copy of which was obtained by Alghad Press, the Iraqi defense ministry said, “Brig. Gen. Sherif Ismail el-Morshedy, the commander of the 57th brigade of Abadi’s protection service, breathed his last while on duty after undisciplined personnel shot him dead near a central checkpoint in Samarra.”
Abadi offered condolences to the martyr’s family and ordered a probe to be opened into his death.
He also praised sacrifices made by the late commander in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group.
According to the statement, the funeral ceremony was held at the defense ministry’s headquarters in the presence of Defense Minister Erfan al-Hiyali.
Commenting on the incident, Saraya al-Salam blamed Abadi’s guards for the death of Morshedy after they attacked its personnel deployed at a security checkpoint between Samarra and Tikrit in Salahuddin.
In December, Muqtada al-Sadr, the head of the Sadrist Movement, announced disbanding Saraya al-Salam brigade, urging the members to evacuate its headquarters and turn in their weapons to the government.
The brigade took part in the summer of 2014 in the liberation of Salahuddin and Samarra from Islamic State militants.

Antichrist's Men Kill Iraqi PM's Guard Chief

Iraqi PM's guard chief killed by militiamen in checkpoint firing

Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 04:11:22|Editor: yan

 

 

BAGHDAD, March 13 (Xinhua) -- A senior officer from a force tasked with protecting Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was shot dead on Tuesday in Iraq's central province of Salahudin, a provincial security source said.
Brig. Gen. Sharif Ismail, commander of a Baghdad-based special brigade protecting Abadi, was killed when militiamen of Saraya al-Salam, or Peace Companies militia, opened fire on their convoy at a checkpoint manned by the militiamen in north of the city of Samarra, the source from Samarra Operations Command told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
One of Ismail's two bodyguards also died, the source added. Saraya al-Salam is a militia group loyal to firebrand Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
The incident reportedly came shortly after a quarrel between Ismail's bodyguards and another group of Saraya al-Salam militiamen at a previous checkpoint in Samarra, some 120 km north of the capital Baghdad, the source said.
The senior officer was heading to Iraq's northern province of Nineveh for security measures there, hours before a planned visit of Abadi, who is also the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces, to the province.
Sadr's militia is a reformation of the previous militia Mahdi Army, which he led during the U.S. occupation of Iraq and the subsequent sectarian strife after 2003.
On June 10, 2014, the group launched a blitzkrieg and seized large swathes of territories in predominantly Sunni provinces in northern and western Iraq, and later announced the formation of "Peace Companies" to protect Shiite shrines from Islamic State militants.

Antichrist's Men Kill Iraqi Brigadier (Revelation 13)

Casualties reported in clashes between Abadi’s guards, Hashd al-Shaabi

Kurdistan24

 

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Sharif Ismail, a brigade commander among Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s guards, was killed in clashes with Saraya al-Salam militias in Salahadin Province on March 13, 2018. (Photo: Archive)

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Clashes erupted between the Hashd al-Shaabi’s Saraya al-Salam militia and the Iraqi Prime Minister’s guards in Salahuddin Province, security sources said on Tuesday.
The sources informed of the death of brigadier general Sharif Ismail, the commander of Brigade 57 of Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s guards, following clashes with Saraya al-Salam in Salahuddin, Shafaq News reported.
Abadi’s guards were en route to Nineveh Province to prepare for the Prime Minister’s visit to Mosul, the security source added.
The Prime Minister’s guards and Saraya al-Salam militias first exchanged blows at the latter’s checkpoint at the entrance of Samara city in Salahuddin and later exchanged fire at the al-Huwaish checkpoint at the entrance of Tikrit, the source said.
According to the Shafaq report, the violence resulted in the death of the brigade commander and injuries to two other guards.
Al-Ghadeer website, meanwhile, reported that Abadi had called for the launch of an immediate investigation into the incident.
Saraya al-Salam, previously known as the al-Mahdi Army, is a Shia faction under the umbrella of the Iranian-backed Hashd al-Shaabi founded by the influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany

The Antichrist And The False Prophet (Revelation 19:20)

Iraqi Muqtada al-Sadr condemn insulting companions of the prophet Muhammad

November 19, 2014 _ 10:29 AM

Iraqi Muqtada al-Sadr condemn insulting companions of the propIraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani have condemned people who insult the family and companions of the prophet Mohammed (p.b.u.h).het Muhammad
 

Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani have condemned people who insult the family and companions of the prophet Mohammed (p.b.u.h).

According to the Iraqi news outlets, in recent days, a group of people in Baghdad insulted Omar whom Sunni Muslims believe him to be the second caliph of the Muslim Ummah and a companion of the prophet Muhammad, as well as Aisha, the prophet Muḥammad’s wife, over a social media network.

After the insults, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani condemned these people.

Sunni scholars have reportedly welcomed the condemnation.

Muqtada al-Sadr described people who share insulting remarks as “headless and ignorant” and apologized to all Muslims for the remarks.

The Shia represent the second largest sect of Islam.

Iraqi Sunni and Shia leaders signed the Mecca Agreement in October 2006 to stop the sectarian tension and bloodshed in the country.

Antichrist Tries To Unify His Country (Revelation 13)

Powerful Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr calls for a military parade across Iraq

 

Antichrist Calls Upon His Men

Powerful Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has called on his supporters to hold a general military parade across the country next Saturday to enhance unity among Iraqis.

“Our beloved country is surrounded by peril and enemies have invaded it. To boost unity and readiness, I call on all of you to hold a military parade across the country as a show of our power to fight against our armed foes,” Sadr said in a statement posted on his website.

A special committee should be formed in order to perform the military parade, the statement added.

On Wednesday, Sadr called on forming defense units against radical militants for protecting country’s religious sites.

A state of emergency was declared in Iraq by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Tuesday after radical militants from the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Levant launched a major offensive in several parts of the country.

Sadr said in an earlier statement that he was ready “to form peace units to defend the holy places” of both Muslims and Christians, in cooperation with the government.

Antichrist's Men Take Up Arms

Shiite Militias in Iraq Appear to Be Growing

By Loveday Morris
The Washington Post

Baghdad — Scores of bodies have been dumped in Iraq’s canals and palm groves in recent months, reminding terrified residents of the worst days of the country’s sectarian conflict and fueling fears that the stage is being set for another civil war.
In the latest sign of the escalating attacks, the heads of three Sunnis were found Sunday in a market in northern Salaheddin province, while six Shiites were shot dead in the province after being questioned about their religious affiliation, officials said.
The carnage has raised concerns that the Shiite militias that stalked members of the minority Sunni population in the dark days of 2006 and 2007 could be remobilizing, in response to attacks by Sunni extremists.
Members of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, an Iranian-backed Shiite group responsible for thousands of attacks on U.S. forces during the Iraq war, admit they have ramped up targeted killings in response to a cascade of bomb attacks on their neighborhoods.
“We’ve had to be much more active,” said an Asaib Ahl al-Haq commander who goes by the nom de guerre Abu Sajad. “Those who are trying to incite sectarianism, we have to deal with them,” he said, drawing his hand over his throat like a knife.
More than 1,000 people were killed in January in Iraq, according to Agence France-Presse. That was the highest death toll since April 2008.
Iraq’s Shiite-led government is struggling to maintain security as the al-Qaida splinter group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, regularly bombs Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad. The Sunni-dominated group is also battling the army for control of cities in the western province of Anbar.
But analysts say that the absence of a major militant group on the Shiite side had prevented the violence from escalating into all-out war – until now.
“The big dynamic we are dancing around is this move back into civil war, triggered by the Islamic State,” said Toby Dodge, a professor at the London School of Economics. “For a while there wasn’t the second hand to do the clapping, and now there is, and that’s Asaib Ahl al-Haq.”
Formed in 2006, Asaib Ahl al-Haq was responsible for frequent bombings targeting U.S. forces during the Iraq war. Now members say its priority is ISIS.
“You have this computer system, and this whole system was infected with a virus,” said Abu Sajad, referring to ISIS’s prevalence in Iraq. “You have to import something to deal with that. That’s what we are for.”
But he said his militia is not trying to reignite Iraq’s civil war.
“We realize this is a trap and ⅛ISIS⅜ wants us to make a sectarian war,” Abu Sajad said. “When we go targeting, we target specific people.”
His colleague Abu Aya concurred. “The fight will not be public,” he said.
The militiamen said Asaib al-Haq disguises its role by working with the security forces.
“The army isn’t well-versed in street fights, so we go, we help them clean it up,” Abu Sajad said, adding that his fighters often wear military uniforms on operations outside the capital, including in Anbar.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite who is accused by Sunnis of oppressing them, has insisted that he is tough on all militias.
“There is no place for Asaib Ahl al-Haq militants within the security forces or armed forces,” government spokesman Ali al-Moussawi said. Any accounts that militias are connected to the security forces are “fabrications,” he said.
However, Michael Knights, an analyst with the Washington Institute, said it was obvious that Shiite militias played a role in the security forces.
“They can bring a very sectarian approach to security, but within the cover of the security forces, which is more worrying than militias that operate openly and illegally,” he said.
The Badr Organization, formed by exiled Iraqis who fought on Iran’s side during the Iran-Iraq war, is particularly active in the security forces’ ranks, Knights said. An Iranian proxy known as Kataib Hezbollah is also increasingly active, he said.
Asaib Ahl al-Haq has been attempting to recast itself as a mainstream political player since the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 2011. It has opened political offices in Baghdad and in Iraq’s predominantly Shiite south.
But it has not abandoned its weapons. Analysts estimate that the number of armed militants in the group ranges from 1,000 to 5,000. Members who were interviewed would not divulge the size of its military wing but said that the group’s active membership — including those involved in community outreach and a burgeoning political wing — is as high as 20,000.

Moqtada al-Sadr: The Antichrist

Profile: Moqtada Sadr

 
Moqtada Sadr has been studying at a seminary in Iran in the hope of becoming an ayatollah

Moqtada Sadr has been a powerful figure in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Although the situation has changed in the country since the radical Shia cleric went into self-imposed exile in Iran in 2007, he appears to have has lost none of his influence and has maintained his wide support among many of Iraq's impoverished Shia Muslims.
At times he has called for a national rebellion against foreign troops and sent out his Mehdi Army militiamen to confront the "invaders" and Iraqi security forces.
At others he has appeared more compromising, seeking for himself a political role within the new Iraq and helping form the national unity government in December 2010.
He returned to Iraq on 5 January 2011. Weeks before the withdrawal of US troops from the country, as negotiations were ongoing between Baghdad and Washington over a possible extension of their mission, he threatened to reactivate the Mehdi Army in case an extension is agreed.
Prayer leader The youngest son of Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Sadiq Sadr - who was assassinated in 1999, reportedly by Iraqi agents - Moqtada Sadr was virtually unknown outside Iraq before the March 2003 invasion.
But the collapse of Baathist rule revealed his power base - a network of Shia charitable institutions founded by his father.

Moqtada Sadr was virtually unknown outside Iraq before the invasion, but quickly gained a following

In the first weeks following the US-led invasion, Moqtada Sadr's followers patrolled the streets of Baghdad's Shia suburbs, distributing food, providing healthcare and taking on many of the functions of local government.
They also changed the name of the Saddam City area to Sadr City.
Moqtada Sadr also continued his father's practice of holding Friday prayers to project his voice to a wider audience.
The practice undermined the traditional system of seniority in Iraqi Shia politics and contributed to the development of rivalries with two of Iraq's Grand Ayatollahs, Kazim al-Hairi and Ali Sistani.
Moqtada Sadr drew attention to their links with Iran, whose influence on Iraq's political and religious life his followers resented.

Moqtada Sadr has become a symbol of resistance to foreign occupation

He also called on Shia spiritual leaders to play an active role in shaping Iraq's political future, something most avoided.
Armed force Moqtada Sadr also used his Friday sermons to express vocal opposition to the US-led occupation and the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC).
In June 2003, he established a militia group, the Mehdi Army, pledging to protect the Shia religious authorities in the holy city of Najaf.
He also set up a weekly newspaper, al-Hawzah, which the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) banned in March 2004 for inciting anti-US violence. The move caused fighting to break out between the Mehdi Army and US-led coalition forces in Najaf, Sadr City and Basra.
The following month, the US said an Iraqi judge had issued an arrest warrant for Moqtada Sadr in connection with the murder of the moderate Shia leader, Abdul Majid al-Khoei, in April 2003. Moqtada Sadr strongly denied any role.

The Mehdi Army was involved in fierce fighting with US forces in August 2004 in Najaf

Hostilities between the Mehdi Army and US forces resumed in August 2004 in Najaf and did not stop until Ayatollah Sistani brokered a ceasefire. The fighting left hundreds dead and wounded.
During the negotiations for a truce, the Americans also reportedly agreed to lay aside the warrant for Moqtada Sadr.
The fierce clashes continued in Sadr City, however, and only ended in October after the Mehdi Army had sustained heavy losses.
Political power Though costly, the violence cemented Moqtada Sadr's standing as a force to be reckoned with in Iraq.

Supporters of Moqtada Sadr have performed strongly in all elections since the 2003 invasion

He became a symbol of resistance to foreign occupation - a counterpoint to established Shia groups such as the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (Sciri) and the Daawa Party.
Despite this, Moqtada Sadr chose to join his rivals' coalition for the December 2005 elections - the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA).
The alliance had easily won Iraq's first post-invasion election the previous January, and with the Sadr Bloc on board again came out on top.
In the months of government negotiations that followed, Moqtada Sadr used his influence to push for the appointment of Nouri Maliki, then Daawa's deputy leader, as prime minister. In return, his supporters got powerful positions in the cabinet.
At the same time, extremist Sunni Islamist militant groups - increasingly supported by Iraq's marginalised Sunni Arab minority - had begun to target the Shia community, not just foreign troops.
Insurgents attacked Shia Islam's most important shrines and killed many Shia politicians, clerics, soldiers, police and civilians.

In 2006 and 2007, thousands of people were killed as the sectarian conflict raged in Iraq

As the sectarian violence worsened, the Mehdi Army was increasingly accused of carrying out reprisal attacks against Sunni Arabs.
In 2006 and 2007, thousands of people were killed as the sectarian conflict raged. The Iraqi security forces seemed unable to stop the violence, though many blamed this on the infiltration of the interior and defence ministries by the Mehdi Army and other Shia militias.
One Pentagon report described the Mehdi Army as the greatest threat to Iraq's security - even more so than al-Qaeda in Iraq. Iran was accused of arming it with sophisticated bombs used in attacks on coalition forces.
Showdown Then in early 2007, after US President George W Bush ordered a troop "surge" in Iraq, it was reported that Moqtada Sadr had left for Iran and told his supporters
In August 2007, heavy fighting broke out between the Mehdi Army and Sciri's Badr Brigade in Karbala, leaving many dead.

In March 2008, the Iraqi government ordered a major offensive against the Mehdi Army in Basra

The internecine fighting was condemned by many Shia, and Moqtada Sadr was forced to declare a ceasefire.
In March 2008, Mr Maliki ordered a major offensive against the militia in the southern city.
At first, the Mehdi Army seemed to have fended off the government's attempts to gain control of Basra. But within weeks, it had accepted a truce negotiated by Iran, and the Iraqi army consolidated its hold.
US and Iraqi forces also moved into Sadr City, sparking fierce clashes but also eventually emerging victorious.
In August 2008, Moqtada Sadr ordered a halt to armed operations. He declared that the Mehdi Army would be transformed into a cultural and social organisation, although it would retain a special unit of fighters who would continue armed resistance against occupying forces.
Kingmaker He meanwhile devoted his time to theological studies in the Iranian holy city of Qom, in the hope of eventually becoming an ayatollah.

Moqtada Sadr returned from Iran in January to the holy city of Najaf to scenes of jubilation

Analysts say the title would grant him religious legitimacy and allow him to mount a more serious challenge to the conservative clerical establishment in Iraq.
At the same time, he built on the gains of the Sadr Bloc in the 2005 elections to increase his political influence. His supporters performed strongly in the 2009 local elections and made gains in the March 2010 parliamentary polls as the Iraqi National Alliance (INA), ending up with 40 seats.
The result made Moqtada Sadr the kingmaker in the new parliament. He toyed initially with backing Mr Maliki's rival for the premiership, but in June agreed to a merger between the INA and the prime minister's State of Law coalition.
Then in October, he was finally persuaded by Iran to drop his objection to Mr Maliki's reappointment in return for eight posts in the cabinet.
Secure in his standing, Moqtada Sadr returned from Iran in January to scenes of jubilation.

Antichrist Talks Big to US

Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr said June 30 that the future Iraqi prime minister, set to be appointed in 2014, will not deal with the White House, and that any candidate of his movement will “stand against the occupier.”

Sadr’s remarks came in response to a June statement by US Ambassador to Iraq Robert Stephen Beecroft, in which he stated, “The prime minister of the great state of Iraq has to deal with [the US].”
Beecroft told a number of journalists, including an Al-Monitor reporter, on June 26, “Talk about the possibility that Iraq's next prime minister might refuse to deal with the US — if he is affiliated with a party that refuses to deal with the US — is a theoretical matter.”
Beecroft stressed, “Regardless of who will be the prime minister of Iraq, it is hard for a prime minister of an important country such as Iraq not to join or work with the US.”
In a statement distributed to the media, Sadr said, “We will nominate as a candidate a prime minister who loves Iraqis and whom they love. He will not be hated by non-believers, and will show modesty in dealing with believers. He will be one of them.” He continued, “The prime minister ... will not deal with the unrighteous occupier, in order to give Iraq prestige, independence, dignity and honor.”
"The Americans," he said, "will not be able to manipulate the fate, rights, wealth and souls in Iraq again.” Sadr then addressed the US ambassador, saying, “Your threat will not be useful. Deal with us however you wish ... We will deal with [the Americans] in ways that you have never seen before.”
The Mahdi Army, an armed branch of Sadr's movement, engaged in bloody armed combat with American forces from 2004 to 2007. However, things changed after Sadr decided to freeze his fighters’ activity and senior officials close to the movement confirmed in 2008 that the movement would turn to political action. Yet Sadr's recent remarks directed at the US ambassador indicate that he desires to rise to power after the 2014 parliamentary elections.
Tariq Kikhany, a leading figure of Sadr's movement, said, “Our political weight grew from 2003 until the April 2013 provincial elections." In a phone interview with Al-Monitor, Kikhany said, “For the 2006 to 2010 term, the movement won 30 seats. The number of seats, however, increased to 41 for the current term.”
The leader also said, “In the 2009 local elections, the Sadr movement won 32 seats, while this number increased to 59 in the April 2013 elections." Kikhany predicted that “the Sadr movement will obtain 70 seats in the 2014 legislative elections.”
"This number of seats qualifies the Sadr movement to take over the management of the Iraqi state. The prime minister position, as well as many other senior positions in the country, will be part of the movement’s share of power,” Kirkhany said.
Sadr competes with current Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for the position of head of the government. The Sadrists believe that Maliki's popularity has decreased in the provinces, particularly since he lost several seats — nearly 59 seats in 12 provinces — in local provincial councils, compared to the number of seats Maliki won in the 2009 local elections.
Sadr is trying to shape a more flexible public opinion to gain from Maliki's decline in popularity. While the opposition is trying to restrain Maliki from running for a third term, the Sadrist movement promised that a law will be enacted to limit the prime minister to two terms.
Jawad al-Jubouri, a Shiite MP affiliated with the Sadrist parliamentary bloc, said, "The bloc demanded the enactment of a law to limit the terms of the presidencies, as required by the phase that Iraq is currently experiencing, in order to ensure that dictatorship is not established in the political system and to preserve the peaceful transfer of power.”
Observers say that the Sadr movement has not spoken this way before. Jubouri told Al-Monitor, “The Sadr movement will not abandon the law to limit the terms of the presidencies, even if the 2014 legislative elections brought to the post of prime minister a figure from the movement.”
Ali Abel Sadah is a Baghdad-based writer for both Iraqi and Arab media. He has been a managing editor for local newspapers as well as a political and cultural reporter for more than 10 years.

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/07/sadr-warns-us-new-prime-minister-maliki-iraq.html#ixzz2YBlfOrfG