A bombing in Karbala attempted to kill a key aide to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in order to discourage the upcoming elections, the AP reports. The bombing killed seven people, mostly bodyguards, and wounded Sistani's aide:

The attack in Karbala, which wounded the representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, came hours after the campaign kicked off, with Iraqi interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi announcing his candidacy. Allawi's defense minister accused Iranian and Syrian intelligence agents of helping insurgents in Iraq. ...

The blast went off at the western gate of the Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala, killing seven people and wounding 31, said Dr. Abdul-Abbas Al-Timimi, director of Al-Hussein hospital.

Al-Sistani's representative, Sheik Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalayee, was among the wounded, and an al-Sistani spokesman said al-Karbalayee was the intended target of the blast. Several of his bodyguards were among the dead and wounded, the spokesman — Hamed al-Khafaf — told Al-Jazeera television.

Today's attack isn't the first time the Imam Hussein shrine has been a target for the Islamofascist terrorists. A series of bombs at a religious festival in March killed 181 Shi'a celebrating at the tomb of Shi'a founder Ali's son. These attacks demonstrate that the terrorists have no interest in defending Islam against infidels, but merely want to impose their own totalitarian vision of the world on a prostrate Iraqi nation. Islam merely provides an excuse, one they easily discard whenever favorable tactical situations arise near so-called holy shrines.

This strategy seems to be failing, as two major Sunni groups registered for the upcoming elections after initially calling for delays or boycotts:

Elder Sunni statesman Adnan Pachachi, who had previously called for a postponement of the elections, said Wednesday he will take part. Pachachi, a former foreign minister, heads the Independent Democratic Gathering and said he would lead a list of at least 70 candidates.

Another Sunni group — the more religious Iraqi Islamic Party — has also put forward its own candidates. Wednesday was the cutoff day for parties or independents to register as candidates in the elections.

As Ayad Allawi and George Bush have remained firm on the election date, the waverers now see that time has run short to join the political process. Perhaps they also now see that the only way to discredit the insurgency and beat them in the long term is to get a viable government elected as soon as possible. Delays and postponements only accrue more credibility and power into the hands of the lunatics, and only a truly representative Iraqi government will have the authority with the Iraqi people to dispose of the nutcases in the most effective manner possible.

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The Iraqi insurgents terrorists know that a freely elected Iraqi government is the beginning of the end of their hope for power. Thus, they attempted to kill a key aide to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, one of the most respected religious leaders in ... [Read More]

Tracked on December 15, 2004 11:54 PM

» Daily Dish from The Cool Blue Blog
Terrorists attempted to assassinate a high level aide of the Shi'ite Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. Iraq's Deputy Minister of Interior Major General Hikmet Moosa produces captured documents that show Iran and Syria are supporting terrorism in Iraq. De... [Read More]

Tracked on December 16, 2004 6:12 AM