"They have decried America as the ‘great Satan,’ while the US denounced their spiritual heartland as part of an ‘Axis of Evil,’" writes Ian Mather in the Scotsman:
The true nature of this distinctly uneasy alliance was clearly demonstrated in the aftermath of the suicide bomb attacks during last week’s celebrations of the Shi’ite festival of Ashura, banned for 25 years during Saddam Hussein’s regime.
As we heard then, the holy sites were vulnerable because US troops had been ordered to stay away:
The crowd initially became angry towards America but was quickly quietened by Shia leaders anxious to preserve good relations . . .
The underlying reason for the Shi’ite leadership urging restraint is tactical. Dr Paul Sullivan, professor of economics at the National Defence University in Washington, said: "The Shia have been moving fast to establish themselves as a political force in the country since the fall of Saddam Hussein. This is their time of chance.
One worrying development: "the growth of private armies as the Shia look to guarantee their own security."
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