Mosque Bombing Fallout

Insurgents/terrorists in Iraq just blew up one of Shiite Islam's holiest mosques. Compare the photos:

And consider the caption from the first photo: "The golden-domed shrine, seen here in Feb. 2004, housed the tombs of two revered leaders of Shiite Islam and symbolized the place where the Imam Mahdi, a mythical, messianic figure, disappeared from this earth."

Baghdad-based reporter Christopher Allbritton give a sense of current and future fallout:

Violent protests are now sweeping Iraq. People from the predominantly Shi’ite Shu’lah neighborhood in western Baghdad have attacked Sunni mosques in Ghazaliya, a nearby Sunni area. Sadr City, home base for rebel cleric — and parliamentary powerbroker — Moqtada al-Sadr, has reportedly re-armed. A Shi’ite mob also reportedly killed a man in the street they said was a Salafist or Wahabbi....

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most revered Shi’ite in Iraq, called for seven days of mourning and protests — although he urged them to remain peaceful.

As Chris says, there goes the U.S.'s demand/hope that the Shiite coalition agree to give the security ministries (Interior and Defense) should go to “people who are non-sectarian … who do not represent or have ties to militias.” Despite all that, I'm still not on the same page as Matt, who no doubt is already writing a post explaining how "the civil war is now on" and no point in GIs hanging around.  The U.S. could (might?) still be a moderating force, and indeed protector of Sunnis. That doesn't exactly lend itself to sound-bytes or great senses of mission. But it might be the best option we have.

Comments

[Nell]

The multiple civil war has been on for a year, with U.S. forces on the Shia and Kurdish sides. Now they should switch? Nothing but the best for our fighting men and women.

[Zathras]

A "moderating force," Eric? On whom?

For over two years now the Sunni Arab-dominated insurgency has struck again and again at the Iraqi government and at Shiite civilians, in just about every way imaginable. Throughout that time the nominal political leaders in the Sunni Arab community have issued occasional criticisms of the worst, or at least the most publicized, terrorist outrages while not themselves fighting the insurgency. Now they face sectarian Shiite militias unwilling to give them the benefit of any doubt, and they still aren't fighting the insurgency.

Iraq's Sunni Arabs have painted themselves into this corner. They will have to make their own way out of it, and the number of things they will need to do for that to happen is starting to get very long.