Iraq's New Government: A Total Farce

I guess it is only logical that a fictional war gives rise to a fictional government with fictional dramas like this...

Officials said on Saturday that Sunni Muslim insurgents were holding 150 Shi'ite hostages in Madaen, about 45 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, and were threatening to kill them unless Shi'ites left the area.

Shi'ite caretaker Prime Minister Iyad Allawi vowed to punish the "terrorist" kidnappers he linked with al Qaeda's wing in Iraq. But raids by Iraqi forces backed by U.S. troops have yielded no kidnappers or hostages...

Doubts about what actually happened in Madaen fuelled the growing cynicism of Iraqis whose leaders have promised stability and economic prosperity since U.S.-led troops invaded the country in 2003.

"There is no way it is true. It was probably a problem with one person in Madaen and people with their own interests blew it up," said Jasmine Daghaghni, waiting to cross a busy street...

The conflicting reports from Madaen generated conspiracy theories that thrive on Iraq's uncertainty.

Some people said U.S. forces made up the story for an excuse to raid Madaen after rebel attacks on U.S. convoys.

Others suspected Iran, which was home to Iraqi Shi'ite exiles during Saddam's rule who are now Iraq's new leaders.

Allawi said "an Al Qaeda-affliated group" had taken over the town. But witnesses said there we no signs of any problems in the town itself:

An Associated Press photographer and TV cameraman who were in or near the town Sunday said large numbers of Iraqi forces had sealed it off, supported by U.S. forces who were keeping a low profile farther from the edge of Madain.

The cameraman said he toured the town Sunday morning. People were going about their business normally, shops were open and teahouses were full, he said. Residents contacted by telephone also said everything was normal...

An Iraqi General , Adnan Thabet, said 85 insurgents had been killed in a massive assault on the town:

General Adnan Thabet, identified by Agence France Presse as a senior security advisor to the Iraqi Interior Ministry, said 85 insurgents died in what was a seventeen hour assault by Iraqi troops and US aircraft on a camp shared by Ba’ath party loyalists and members of Al-Qaeda. Reportedly speaking from Samarra, Thabet told AFP that US "air raids" killed 50 insurgents, while Iraqi commandos killed 35, indicating that US forces played a significant role in the assault.

Thabet added that the raid resulted in no prisoners, but that several militants "escaped by boat" across the lake.

Then Thabet told reporters that

"the number of hostages has been greatly exaggerated".

Shortly afterwards it was reported that Major-General Adnan Thabet had been gunned down in his own home.

But then Iraqi officials said Thabet was still alive!

They named the dead man as Major-General Adnan Midhish Kharagoli, an adviser to the defense minister. He was killed along with his nephew when 10 gunmen burst into his Baghdad home.

Interior Ministry officials had earlier said the victim was Major-General Adnan Thabet, hours after he told the media that a hostage crisis was exaggerated.

"We made a mistake," said one of the officials, who declined to be named.

So were 85 people killed? Or 50? Was there actually a massive battle at all? Were there ever any hostages taken?

And what prompted Allawi to blame Al Quaeda for all this? Where is he getting his information? Where are his top generals getting their information? Given their already flaky credibility, is there any reason to believe anything these guys say?

And given the Sunni versus Shi'ite nature of the allegations, is someone trying to push Iraq towards all-out Civil War? And if so, who and why?