La Voz de Aztlan
Bloody Battle for Holy City of Najaf
Thu Aug 12, 2004 00:41
64.140.158.2

Bloody Battle for Holy City of Najaf

Fierce Iraqi defenders and 130 degree temperatures
are taking a heavy toll on US occupation forces

by
Ernesto Cienfuegos = La_Voz@Aztlan.Net
La Voz de Aztlan

[Image] Los Angeles, Alta California - August 11,
2004 - (ACN) While the two fraternal brothers of the
"Skulls and Bones Society" are campaigning for the US
presidency and arguing over who is the greater
pathological liar, US Marines are getting blown to
bits by RPG's in Iraq's holiest city. The toll of
dead US occupation soldiers will soon rise
dramatically when, and if, the Pentagon launches what
they say will be "the final assault on Najaf".

Approximately 4,000 U.S. Marines from the 1st
Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment and two other U.S.
battalions have mobilized around Najaf in recent
weeks for a possible all out attack to capture or
kill Shiite Cleric Muqtada Sadr and his 2,000 Mahdi
Army that is defending the city.

[Image] Maj. David Holahan, executive officer of the
1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment said today that
they had developed plans to carry out a military
assault on the city, but it is not clear when the
attack might take place or whether it would include
entering and desecrating the "Imam Ali Mosque", one
of the most sacred sites in Islam.

The "Imam Ali Mosque" at Najaf is a spectacular
gold-domed mosque that enshrines the tomb of Ali ibn
Abi Talib, the Prophet Muhammad's cousin and the
husband of his beloved daughter, Fatima. Ali is the
first of 12 Imams. Most Shiites revere 12 Imams as
successors and descendants of Muhammad. The Imams
have divine powers to intercede between God and the
Believer. The 12th Imam is believed not to have died
in the ninth century but to have been "hidden." He is
expected to return as the Mahdi, a powerful Messianic
figure. Damage or desecration by US soldiers of the
"Imam Ali Mosque" could spark an "Iraqi Implosion"
and the fall of Iyad Allawi's US installed puppet
regime.

Najaf is to 120 million Shiite Muslims what the
Vatican is to Roman Catholics. A military assault on
the city will galvanize Shiites all over the world
and millions of other Muslims against the US
occupation with dire unforseen consequences for the
American people.

[Image] Judging from the horrors that occurred at the
Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad, it is possible that
some undisciplined and morally corrupt US troops will
attempt to destroy or desecrate the "Imam Ali Mosque".
This is etched clearly and deeply in the minds of the
2,000 Mahdi Army defenders, creating the potential
for the looming battle to become one of the bloodiest
yet in the US war against Iraq. If the US military
assault proceeds, extremely heavy casualties on both
sides will be the result.

[Image] US occupation soldiers have already suffered
a number of casualties in skirmishes in and around
Najaf's cemetery which is also considered a very holy
place by Shiite Muslims. Maj. Gen. Martin Dempsey,
commander of the 1st Armored Division, blew up a
number of graves and a response by Mahdi defenders
killed at least 5 US Marines.

The Najaf cemetery has centuries of religious history
and it is where Shiites want to be buried. Shiites
believe that Imams have the capacity to act as
intercessors between Shiites and God on the day of
the Resurrection. That is why many Shiites prefer to
be buried in the cemetery in Najaf. This is in order
to be in close proximity to the Imam so they will be
among the first resurrected. The desecration of the
tombs at Najaf only adds to the rage against US
occupation forces that Iraqis and Muslims have.

[Image] A US military assault on the holy city of
Najaf and desecration of the "Imam Ali Mosque" could
result in a major turning point in this so called
"War of Civilizations". The 120,000 US troops
presently occupying Iraq would be hard pressed to
control 14 million "raging" Shiites living in the
region and many millions more Muslims around the
world.

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This article along with five photographs
are published at:

http://www.aztlan.net/battle_holy_city_najaf.htm

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