McClatchy Washington Bureau | 06/22/2007 | Chilling stories from the Madhi ArmyMcClatchy Newspapers interviewed Abu Rusil after asking an intermediary to find a Mahdi Army commander from Hai al Salam to comment on residents' stories of brutality. Abu Rusil introduced himself as Abu al Hassan, then acknowledged his better known nom de guerre. He refused to be identified by his real name, though several residents said they knew it.
Abu Rusil said he'd never killed anyone until his brother's death. He struggled to make ends meet as a taxi driver. When Sunni insurgents shot his brother, Abu Rusil and his family had to pool their money to come up with the $2,000 it cost to retrieve the body.
Now he enjoys the spoils of war as a Mahdi Army commander. He has a house and three sport-utility vehicles, which he uses in his transportation business. He confiscates cars from Sunnis to get around town. The cars, of course, now belong to the Mahdi Army.
The killings will end, Abu Rusil said, when every Sunni has left the country and Muqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shiite cleric who heads the Mahdi Army, rules Iraq.
"The Mahdi Army will lead the revolution in Iraq as Imam Khomeini did in Iran," he said, referring to the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the spiritual leader of that country's Islamic revolution. Then, using an honorific reserved for descendants of the prophet Muhammad, he added, "This is what Sayed Muqtada wants and what the Sadr trend wants."
Publicly, Sadr has called for reconciliation with the Sunnis and joint prayers, most recently in an interview on Iraqiya state television.
"Anyone assaulting an innocent Iraqi civilian does not belong to this army, and I would disown him until the Day of Judgment," he said.
But Abu Rusil said he's only following orders with his brutal acts.
He said he's been to Iran eight times for training. All of the Mahdi Army's weapons except for the AK-47 rifles come from Iran, he said. His men also get help from the U.S.-trained Iraqi Security Forces, whose commandos bring them larger weapons, such as rocket-propelled grenade launchers and improvised explosive devices, that they can't bring into the neighborhood themselves. When they have to, his men drive official-looking GMC SUVs and wear police and army uniforms, he said.
Abu Rusil said he'd never killed anyone until his brother's death. He struggled to make ends meet as a taxi driver. When Sunni insurgents shot his brother, Abu Rusil and his family had to pool their money to come up with the $2,000 it cost to retrieve the body.
Now he enjoys the spoils of war as a Mahdi Army commander. He has a house and three sport-utility vehicles, which he uses in his transportation business. He confiscates cars from Sunnis to get around town. The cars, of course, now belong to the Mahdi Army.
The killings will end, Abu Rusil said, when every Sunni has left the country and Muqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shiite cleric who heads the Mahdi Army, rules Iraq.
"The Mahdi Army will lead the revolution in Iraq as Imam Khomeini did in Iran," he said, referring to the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the spiritual leader of that country's Islamic revolution. Then, using an honorific reserved for descendants of the prophet Muhammad, he added, "This is what Sayed Muqtada wants and what the Sadr trend wants."
Publicly, Sadr has called for reconciliation with the Sunnis and joint prayers, most recently in an interview on Iraqiya state television.
"Anyone assaulting an innocent Iraqi civilian does not belong to this army, and I would disown him until the Day of Judgment," he said.
But Abu Rusil said he's only following orders with his brutal acts.
He said he's been to Iran eight times for training. All of the Mahdi Army's weapons except for the AK-47 rifles come from Iran, he said. His men also get help from the U.S.-trained Iraqi Security Forces, whose commandos bring them larger weapons, such as rocket-propelled grenade launchers and improvised explosive devices, that they can't bring into the neighborhood themselves. When they have to, his men drive official-looking GMC SUVs and wear police and army uniforms, he said.
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