Crisis of a “Second Iraq War”

On April 6, Iraq hard-liners Sunnis and Shiites formed a united anti-U.S. front, and as the attack of the resistance force spread throughout Iraq, the Iraq situation has been drawn into a “second war” phase between the allied forces including the U.S. and the Iraqi resistance force.

According to foreign sources, there is a possibility that the large-scale religious activities which will be held on April 9, the one-year anniversary of the collapse of Baghdad, and April 10, Shiite’s main festival Arbayin (40-day morning period of the death of saint Hussein), might be used as a forefront to an anti-U.S. resistance.

In an effort to consolidate the military confrontation policy, the U.S. has actually increased the number of troops in Iraq and the U.K. has added 700 soldiers to their forces this week as well. U.S. President George W. Bush is planning to summon a National Security Council on April 7 (local time) to discuss the Iraq situation.

Raed al-Kazemi, representative of the leader of the hard-liner Shiites Muqtad al-Sadr, who played a detonating role in the revolt of Shiites, stated, “Part of the Sunnis residents have expressed their intentions to join the militia corps of Al-Sadr.”

If the Shiites and Sunnis, who have a hostile relationship, form a united front of resistance, the U.S. strategy against Iraq will be further driven to the wall.

Al-Sadr urged the strike by stating, “The Iraqis must protect their own rights by employing all methods necessary.”

The U.S. postponed the departure from Iraq of 24,000 soldiers who were expected to return home within several weeks. The replacement for these troops arrived in Iraq, increasing the number of the American forces stationed in Iraq from 110,000 to 134, 000.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was quoted as saying, “I will grant the request if the commanding officers of the U.S. forces in Iraq ask for additional troops.”

On April 7, CNN reported that Ramadi, the neighboring city of Paluza, experienced a fierce battle between the U.S. Marines and opposition forces on the night of April 6, resulting in at least 12 deaths and about 20 wounded.

The battle between the allied and opposition forces in Nasiriya, where two Koreans were released after being detained, and the Amara region, the southern part of Iraq, led to about 20 deaths and tens of injured Iraqis.

Since April 4, when the battle between Al-Sadr followers and allied forces became more concrete, more than 30 allied forces, including the U.S. military, and 136 Iraqis have lost their lives. In particular, on April 6 when the battle spread all over throughout Iraq, over 100 people died, including 66 Iraqis, 13 U.S. soldiers, 1 Ukrainian soldier over the course of just one day.