BAGHDAD — The assassination of a Shiite lawmaker appears to be the work of al-Qaida in Iraq, said Col. John Hort, the brigade commander responsible for Sadr City, the Shiite slum where the killing has prompted mass demonstrations against the U.S. military.
Saleh al-Ugaili, a Sadrist member of parliament, died in a roadside bomb attack Thursday. Al Ugaili was the second MP to be assassinated in 18 months.
Al-Ugaili died 200 meters from an Iraqi army checkpoint, and many Shiites accused the Iraqi army of not doing enough to protect him.
Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr even blamed the United States, which condemned the attack. The accusations endanger fragile security gains in Sadr City, a longtime bastion of opposition to the Iraqi government and coalition forces.
It could also reignite conflict between competing Shiite factions. Some Sadrists blamed the killing on the Badr Organization, an alleged militia with ties to the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council, the largest party in the Iraqi parliament that has often been accused of dominating the Iraqi security forces.
Critics accused the party of using government forces to wipe out Badr’s rival parties when the government launched an offensive against Sadrists in Basra in the spring. That action sparked widespread fighting in Sadr City and saw Sadrists attack some Badr buildings.
But Hort said the manner of attack bears the trademark of al-Qaida in Iraq, not Badr. It could also have been the work of rogue Shiite militants that the military calls "Special Groups." At the moment, though, the evidence points toward al-Qaida, he said.
"We have a pretty good idea of who was responsible for this," said Hort, who commands 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division.
So far, the killing has not prompted unrest anywhere close to the levels seen around the country this spring, although Sadrists have scheduled a demonstration against the United States for Saturday.
Rival Shiite parties also appear to be remaining peaceful, Hort said.
"Right now, I have not seen it degenerate into any civil strife between the Badrists and the Sadrists," Hort said.
