Baghdad papers blame assassinations on Iran

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi newspapers on Saturday blamed Iran for the recent wave of assassinations taking place in Iraq. The government-funded al-Sabah newspaper published an article entitled ‘MP’s assassination’ by its editor-in-chief Fallah al-Mashaal. The author of the article commented on last Thursday’s explosion that targeted an Iraqi member of parliament from the Sadrist bloc, Saleh al-Okaili. Mashaal said that the assassination aimed at creating an atmosphere of chaos, confusion and terror in the war-ravaged country. The author pointed the finger at anti-Iraq forces, which he said seek to undermine Iraq’s democratic process and stability. He argued that other similar attacks may be mounted against politicians and parliamentarians from other blocs, calling on security authorities to be on the alert for future attacks. On Thursday, Sadrist MP Saleh al-Okaili died in hospital of wounds he sustained from an explosion that targeted his car in eastern Baghdad, a spokesperson for the Sadrist bloc said. The parliamentarian died before undergoing a surgery to stop bleeding in his brain. A medical source said earlier that the Shiite lawmaker had fallen into a coma because of bleeding in his brain and would undergo a surgery. On the same subject, Sabah al-Lami wrote an article in the independent daily al-Mashriq newspaper in which he commented on statements made by Iraqi politicians and U.S. forces on Okaili’s assassination. The author said that U.S. forces and an official spokesperson for the U.S. army in Baghdad accused ‘Special Groups’ of the assassination, which occurred near a security checkpoint manned by Iraqi forces. The U.S. army lends the name ‘Special Groups’ to armed groups that have links with Iran. The author also quoted U.S. forces as accusing Iran of meddling in Iraqi provincial council elections, which are scheduled to take place in early 2009. SS (S) 1