Iraqi militia leader's death shatters truce

The Mahdi Army commander was hated by Shiites and Sunnis alike. Nonetheless, his assassination reignites sectarian killings.

Ned Parker, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

...Abu Yasser remembered when the two men announced the truce and celebrated with a meal in a tent in the middle of the district. The terms were: no killing, no displacement and a return to calm. He had hoped it would spread through all Washash, but it did not. Naji continued to walk. From the date palms, gunmen watched him and opened fire. The Mahdi Army leader collapsed, mortally wounded, and with him went the truce that had prevailed in the neighborhood. The Mahdi Army leader collapsed, mortally wounded, and with him went the truce that had prevailed in the neighborhood. "His men thought that the fire came from us. They started shooting," Abu Yasser said. "We were astonished and ran to our houses and brought our weapons to defend ourselves." Sectarian war had descended once more on Washash. The irony was that it had exploded over a man who was hated by Shiites and Sunnis alike. Within the hour, small gangs from the Mahdi Army hunted down Sunnis across the district. Anywhere from five to 20 people were killed, and by Friday afternoon, at least 30 Sunni families had fled Washash. Violence continued Saturday as a Sunni man was pulled out of a car and shot to death. Naji, a man viewed by many as a criminal, had ignited another chapter in Iraq's civil war....

continua / continued