Iranian Diplomat Murdered in Iraq

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
1

The latest great victory of the Iraqi freedom fighters in their brave resistance to occupation appears to be the first secretary of Iran’s embassy, Khalil Naimi. He “has been in Iraq to try and help mediate between the U.S.-led authorities and Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.”

Let’s give a big :k: for the murder of this US stooge.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A senior Iranian diplomat was shot dead close to Tehran’s diplomatic mission in Baghdad on Thursday, Iraqi police and diplomatic staff said.
Iran’s state television identified the dead man as the first secretary of Iran’s embassy, Khalil Naimi.

“Khalil Naimi, first secretary of Iran’s embassy to Iraq, who was in his diplomatic car, was attacked by unknown people and died immediately,” the station’s Baghdad reporter said.

“The attack took place on Haifa street near the Iranian embassy,” the reporter added.

A Reuters correspondent on the scene saw a car with at least two bullet holes in it. A body was slumped in the vehicle, which had smashed into a lamp-post after the shooting.

“We have been told that he was driving his car to go to the embassy and three men drove up and shot him,” an Iranian official said in Baghdad.

An Iranian delegation has been in Iraq to try and help mediate between the U.S.-led authorities and Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

The United States has vowed to kill or capture Sadr and destroy his militia, but both sides have said they are eager to avoid bloodshed.

Under the rule of Saddam Hussein’s Sunni Muslim-dominated secular regime, some of Iraq’s majority Shi’ite community sought exile and developed close ties with Shi’ite-ruled Iran.

Iran and Iraq fought a bloody eight-year war in the 1980s.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=4836904

2

:k: What a coincidence that a Shia that was helping to negociate Sadr’s exile in Iran was gunned down by the noble resistance. No one should stand in the way of his matyrdom…

3

Al-Sado just shot his own foot. Excellent.

4

maybe ive missed something but i cant see where it says the diplomat was shot by shias, or for that matter sadrs men.

key point to note;

1-not all resistant fighters are shias. for example, majority if not all of the hosatge takers are non shias..
2- sadrs militia is pro-iranian.
3- sadr has backed down on his demands and is busy at present negotiating a deal through iranians.

5

nicely put in context humhaipakistani.

lesson for those americans who think we place your misery above anytihg else. iranians would like to see nothing more than to see you continue to flail about in the rut you're in.

we're doing you a major favor here.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by ravage: *
iranians would like to see nothing more than to see you continue to flail about in the rut you're in.

[/QUOTE]
So do most muslim, 3rd world or otherwise down-trodden people. In baseball, if you aren't a Yankees fan, you hate them and want them to lose. In high school if you aren't part of the popular or successful crowd, you resent those who are and want to see them fail. Everyone wants to read about the failures of the famous and beautiful in the tabloids because they want to see them suffer the same trials and tribulations that they experience. There are millions of Americans who wanted Martha Stewart to fail becuase their male egos can't stand to see a woman succeed and become more rich and powerful than they will ever be. The constant claim that Americans are crying "why does the world hate us?" is incorrect. I think most Americans understand why.

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^ your not helping yourself by trying to answer the million dollar question and coming to the wrong conclusion. If anything, its gonna create more misunderstandings and problems.

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Who could have done that?

:-/

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Seminole

'Third World and down trodden people'.

Your true colours always shine when you least expect them to. Nevermind.

Muslims only dislike Americans because they believe you to be moral-less, undemocratic, dunts with no real values and barbaric.

Nothing to do with baseball or Martha I'm afraid.

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The mainly flaw in your argument, myvoice and Ohioguy, is that sadr is quite likely being bankrolled by Iran.

You're being purely speculative. For all you know, it could simply be a revenge killing by someone who lost a loved one in the 1980-1988 war. They wouldn't have had a chance to kill a representative of the Iranian government and get away with it under repressive regime of Saddam; there would probably be a government informer somewhere to rat out the assasin.

On the other hand, the chaotic law & order situation that's been prevalant in Iraq ever since the USA took over provides perfect cover for someone wanting to settle a score.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by sholay: *
Your true colours always shine when you least expect them to. Nevermind.

Muslims only dislike Americans because they believe you to be moral-less, undemocratic, dunts with no real values and barbaric.

Nothing to do with baseball or Martha I'm afraid.
[/QUOTE]
And my post is deemed arrogrant? This holier-than-thou attitude far exceeds any audacities of my post. I didn't make any moral indictments or accusations of babarity. That in itself wouldn't be a very 'moral' statement, would it? So please stop the stone throwing. I am referring to the economical and political FACTS - most Muslim nations suffer from poverty and lack of freedoms. This obviously contributes to the prevailing dislike of Americans who in 200 short years have become the most powerful and prosperous nation in the history of the world.

12

MS,

Iran may have HAD Sadr bankrolled, but now thee is heavy pressure for Iran to accept him in exile, at least until there is a change of sovereignty. Sadr has had his opponents knifed shot and slashed, and if Sadr objects to the position of this diplomat, he may have had him killed.

If it had been a bomb, I would have suspected a Baathist. In the end, who knows? Certainly it is odd that the Iranians would be helping, but chaos on their border is helping no one, and they may have discovered that Sadr is no longer taking orders, and is a liability.

Who knows, who cares. He is a two bit thug, who is playing both ends against the middle in a power play that puts Iraq at ridk of exploding. If he has power he can show that in elections, not by openly calling for more deaths and rebellion.

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Inna Lillahe wa Inna Alahe Rajeun

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Mad_S:
I don’t think my argument is flawed because I didn’t claim or argue that Sadr’s thugs killed the Iranian diplomat. I referenced the great victory of the Iraqi “freedom” fighters. As far as I know it could have been Sunni thugs, non-Sadr loyalist Shia thugs, Sadr backing thugs, foreign terrorist freedom fighting thugs, etc., etc., etc.

One thing that is a pretty safe bet is that it wasn’t the US or the Iraqi Governing Council. After all, he was there to do their bidding in trying to negotiate a compromise on the violence and keep more innocent Iraqi’s from dieing needlessly. Pathetic stooge got what he deserved no doubt. His death will probably promote the deaths of several more Iraqi civilians which is good isn’t it because it undermines the US attempts at restoring stability. Got to love them freedom fighters. :k: :k: :k:

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Like I said, I can't see any reason why even anti-coalition resitance fighters would need to target an Iranian diplomat, at least in a manner that leaves no identity as to the killer or his motive. If someone wanted tp punish Iran for its actions, they would announce it too to try and discourage Iran from continuing those actions or face similar consequences

Which suggests that it may well be driven by a different motive altogether. Thousands upon thousands of Iraqis were killed or simply made to diasappear by Iran (and vice versa), which leaves millions of Iraqis out there with a potential score to settle with Iran. Targetting Iranian government officials may be, in someone's twisted mind, a way to settle a 20-year old grievance over a family member's death.