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Reports From Iraq > Wed., Mar. 3, 2004
Who's Backing the Terrorists?
Ali Adnan Adwan (left) has a law degree but he runs a
fruit-stand. He's saddened but not surprised by this week's
bombings |
KIRKUK, IRAQ - Who's backing the terrorists? That's a question
many here are asking after Tuesday's twin bombings of Shi'ite
religious celebrations in Baghdad and Karbala. Most people
don't seem to think it's al-Qaeda.
The Americans "encourage these bombings in order to
be sure that they will stay here for a long time," suggests
Muftar al-Hassan Romathey, an activist in the organization
of the young Ayatolla Muqtar al-Sadr. Look at the timing,
he says: "The bombings yesterday were timed with the
signing of the new constitution in Baghdad. When these steps
finish they will have to leave this area and for this reason
they are encouraging this terrorism."
The Eid attacks on Baghdad mark the third time major political
or religious activities have been bombed since the Americans
Army took over from Saddam Hussein's. The first victim was
Ayatolla Bakir al-Hakim whose Supreme Council for Islamic
Revolution in Iraq receives support from the government of
Iran. Next came the bombing of the Kurdish Parliament in Arbil,
a key source of power independent of America.
Al-Qaeda, which like most terrorist organizations is usually
quick to claim responsibility for its acts, sent a statement
to London-based al-Quds al Arabi flatly denying it had "anything
to do at all" with the bombings.
So who's the guilty party? Ali Adnan Adwan has an idea. The
25 year old Shi'ite graduated law school a few months before
last years war, but with limited telephone service and intermittent
electricity its hard to run a law practice. So he started
a fruit stand.
"The people who don't have jobs will go to anyone with
money and explode themselves." He cites a story a taxi
driver told him that there are people willing to pay $250,000
to potential suicide bombers. "So their family and their
grandchildren will be able to live well in the future."
Shop-keeper Ali Adnan Adwan, like almost everyone in Iraq,
knows George Bush has gotten $87 billion extra from American
taxpayers to spend in Iraq. He suggests if some of that went
to the Iraqi people there would be fewer bombings.
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