One of Ours

He addresses the nature of violent forces in Iraq other than Sadr's militia: "Yes, there is a patriotic element, we fully understand that. But, on the other hand, there are forces carrying out sabotage simply to destabilise the situation and to maintain the privileged position that they had before.

"There are remnants of the old regime. The dictatorship at the time had a sophisticated system of repression. They didn't just vanish," says Ali.

"They carry out operations in return for money paid by leading figures of the old regime, as well as tribal elements. Certain stratas thrived under the sanctions through the smuggling of oil."

Ali has strong words for those on the left here who have hailed the current upsurge in violence as a sign of a "national resistance."

"What is the agenda of these political groups?" he asks. "What alternative are they putting forward for Iraq and the region as a whole apart from violence and destabilisation and turning Iraq into a battlefield to fight their own wars against America?

"Anybody can go to Baghdad and they can detect straight away that the people simply are not part of it. They've had enough wars and killing.

"These people who are advocating support for ‘national resistance’ have to convince us - how will this in any way advance the causes of peace, democracy and social progress?"