Recent reports say that the fledgling Iraqi gov't has been cooking intelligence regarding alleged hostage-taking in a town south of Baghdad. The Interior Minister, who is Shi'ite, claimed that "hundreds" of hostages had been taken. Sunnis claim that the Shi'ite dominated gov't used this premise to commit unwarranted house-to-house searches with the help of the US-led military.
The squabble is centered on the interim government's response to reports of a crisis south of Baghdad, where Shiite leaders claim Sunni terrorists have taken hostages. Shiite leaders also say they want to remove members of the former ruling Baath Party, which was predominantly Sunni, from positions of power in the Defense and Interior ministries...
Shiite leaders, who claimed Sunni militants grabbed Shiite hostages in the village, demanded that the interim government intervene. Government and Sunni officials claim the reports are exaggerated.
The ploy apparently was set up as a power grab and to foment sectarian discord. Obviously political operatives within the new Iraqi gov't are learning valuable lessons of hardball politics, obfuscation and dissembling in the manner of Karl Rove. Who said the USA cannot influence southern Asia?
Now, the NY Times is reporting the assassination of an Iraqi general; odds are it's directly related.