New graffiti on banners hanging over walls in Iraq’s Karadi district say “No party but Hezbollah” and “Yes, yes to Islam.” It’s part of an apparent fundamentalist fervor sweeping the country. A two-story office building near the Hezbollah banner is guarded by a man who says it will open soon. Nearby is a banner for the Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq. Posters of Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, a Shiite cleric who returned to Iraq after more than 20 years in exile, are plastered on various walls and streetlight posts around the city. Al-Hakim’s arrival in Iraq brought thousands of faithful to pay homage to him. He’s expected to speak in Najaf Monday. In a nearby part of town, an Islamic cultural center is closed, but people are standing outside another Islamic party office, waiting for the workers to return. “People are saying these groups are forming here,” says Sadoun al-Dulaimi, a moderate Iraqi tribal leader who serves as an adviser to Americans working in the Pentagon-led Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance. “Shiite and Sunni divisions are part of the past. Islamic movements are not suitable for this environment.” Full Story
About OODA Analyst
OODA is comprised of a unique team of international experts capable of providing advanced intelligence and analysis, strategy and planning support, risk and threat management, training, decision support, crisis response, and security services to global corporations and governments.