Karbala (AsiaNews) – Along the holy city of Karbala's main street, Al-Mukhayyam Way, it is hard to find a shop, restaurant or hotel that is not in ruins as many downtown businesses and buildings have been reduced to piles of rubble. In general, this is all that is left of city that has hosted millions of Shiite pilgrims from all parts of the world. 

Moqtada Al-Sadr's radical Al-Mahdi's militia forces disappeared from the city on Friday, May 21. The young rebel combatants, under the imam's leadership, came to "defend the holy sites and their brothers in faith" from Nassiriya and the Al-Sadr Shiite neighborhood in Baghdad. Yet they have all reportedly returned to their hometowns.  

Operation "Steel Dagger" was led by General Martin Dempsey, whose goal was to "destroy (Al-Sadr's) militia forces" and to give back "public security in Karbala, Husseiyniya, Najaf and Kufa to Iraqi police forces." Both objectives have been reached, at least in the city of Karbala where the Al-Sahla Mosque, run by Al-Sadr's supporters, has been leveled to the ground. Two public schools on Khazwini Street were also reduced to rubble.

The city, where broken power lines now dangle from poles, seems to have been hit by a powerful earthquake. Local sources say most of Karbala will have to undergo completely new construction in order to be fully functional again.

Al-Mahdi militia head, Ali Al-Khuzali, is on the run, as angry protestors petitioned his rebel units to abandon the holy city last Friday. The defiant leader defended himself saying, "we are fighting to evacuate occupants of holy sites." 

After 15 days of violence and bloodshed, there is finally calm in Karbala. The general state of disorder has kept pilgrims far away, and hence has led the town and region to incur huge financial losses.

The local Shiite clergy, who depend on visiting faithful for their means of support, have blamed the disaster on Imam Al-Sadr, while it is much easier to accuse foreign troops for all the damage done.    

An association of Shiite clergy and Karbala shop owners are preparing to appeal to Coalition forces to pay for all the damage done, as was the case in Fallujah where Sunnis were compensated 1.3 million dollars by the US military.  

Karbala, the town of golden-domed mosques and where the holy remains of Imam Hussein and his half-brother, Abbas, are buried, will surely return to its original splendor. Yet no one will soon forget to unscrupulous actions of Imam Al-Sadr.  (PB)  

• iraq
• karbala
• shiites
• fundamentalism