Just who is behind the majority of killings in Iraq? The US ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, claims “terrorists” are not the real problem. Shiite militias, supported and funded, at least partially by the US, are out of control:
“More Iraqis are dying from the militia violence than from the terrorists,” Khalilzad said. “The militias need to be under control.”
The real power behind the militias remains unclear, though Robert Fisk suggests US involvement. After all, Iraq is under occupation, and still largely funded by the US administration. The US tax-payer would be very unhappy to learn that some of their money is contributing to the ongoing violence.
Not unlike Australia’s involvement in Iraq, the Howard government was talking tough against Saddam on the one hand, while turning a blind eye to dodgy trade deals with the Iraqi dictator on the other.