Iraq Press Roundup

The Sunni Al Mashriq newspaper said Thursday in an editorial titled "The killing of 15 women" that the problem any militia in the world faces is that no matter how politically professional, organized and ideologically mature they are, they still might be accepted by one country and rejected by another.

The editorial said militias have no legal source to frame their existence, which is the reason why many resist them while many others embrace them.

The paper said the Shiite Mehdi Army militia, loyal to cleric Moqtada Sadr, is one militia that has raised accusations and questions, as well as been involved in battles with government forces, al-Qaida and occupation forces at various times, the paper said.

It said it is a serious problem that the Mehdi Army is being targeted by all sides, including some of its own militia members.

"The Sadrists ... have had disputes with the American government and forces, then with all Iraqi prime ministers from Iyad Allawi, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, to the current Prime Minster Nouri al-Maliki," the paper said.

It said the Mehdi Army has rebelled against Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds in government.

The editorial was critical of the fact that though the Sadrists were part of the Iraqi government and Parliament, they still considered dealing with the U.S. government or forces as "supporting" the occupier.

The paper said Iran denied it financially supports or trains the Mehdi Army and joined the Iraqi government's determination to bring the outlaws to justice.

The paper highlighted the fact that the Mehdi Army is well supported by many people as the group's calls for protests lead to a million, or at least thousands, to follow.

It said the Iraqi government and U.S. forces were unable for a month now to eliminate the Mehdi Army.

"The latest crime the Mehdi Army militia has committed but gotten away with was the assassination of 15 women due to three reasons: the first of which was religious because some women refuse to wear a veil, the second was political because some others were critical of the militia's actions, and the third was due to the fact they were thought to be involved with the Baath Party," The Sunni newspaper said.