The Hindu : Conflict theatre may widen

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 01, 2003

International

International

Conflict theatre may widen

By Atul Aneja

MANAMA March 31. As the war in Iraq begins to prolong, the first signs that the conflict could spill into other parts of the region are beginning to show. Hoping to protect their supply lines, the United States and British invading forces have begun to encircle, and in some cases, move into, key towns and cities in search of Iraqi fedayeen irregular forces that have launched a guerilla war against them.

U.S. troops, moving along the Euphrates river, but still around 100 km short of Baghdad, have entered Hindiyah, in search of the Ba'ath party "minders" of the fedayeen units. The spokesperson for the U.S. Central Command, Vincent Brooks, however, denied that the U.S. forces were encountering "street fighting" in Hindiyah — a town situated between the sacred city of Karbala and the ruins of ancient Babylon. Fighting has also been reported around An-Nasiriyah, a key flashpoint along the Euphrates where 20 U.S. soldiers had lost their lives last Sunday.

In a pre-dawn dawn raid on Monday, U.S. helicopters, tanks and ground troops attacked Shatra, north of An-Nasiriyah, targeting senior Iraqi officials, including the Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein's cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid. Most significantly, the U.S. troops are standing on the gates of Najaf, a holy site to Shias all over the world.

In case the U.S. forces enter Najaf to counter the Ba'ath party activists and fedayeen, who are reportedly positioned in strength there, it could lead to extremely serious consequences. Najaf is the site of one of the most sacred Islamic shrines where Prophet Mohammad's son-in-law, Ali, lies buried. Other Muslim holy figures are also buried there and at the huge Wadi es-Salaam cemetery in the city.

Any damage to these sites due to U.S. military action is likely to inflame Muslim passions, and will especially affect the international Shia community.

Iran, which has a predominantly Shia population, has already fired warning shots in anticipation of trouble in Najaf. In a telephone conversation with the British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, on Sunday, the Iranian Foreign Minister, Kamal Kharrazi, said the Shia holy sites in Iraq must be respected and safeguarded. Meanwhile, in yet another signal that the conflict in Iraq may be spreading, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad has confirmed that the first wave of suicide bombers that it had dispatched to fight the U.S. and British forces had arrived in Iraq. A statement by the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad said that the Arabs were fighting "one war from Najaf to Tulkarem and from Jenin to Baghdad."

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