One of Ours

Media outlets have ignored an announcement, issued few days ago by a group calling itself the Battalions of Thu al-Fiqar, which has attacked the al-Mahdi army militias. Yesterday they attacked several places in Kufa where supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr were stationed. Meanwhile, Abu Hasan al-Amiri, a leading figure in the military wing of Badr Brigades of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), said it was useless to confront the Americans. An unnamed supporter of al-Sadr admitted there was a danger of clashes breaking out between the Mahdi army and the Badr organization if hostility between them increased. The supporter described this hostility as an ancient conflict between the Arabs and Persians, which is a reference to SCIRI's alleged dependence on Iran. Clashes broke out late yesterday between Sadr's militiamen and a new group called "Young Believers Group in Najaf", which has similar aims as Thu al-Fiqar battalion.