Congressional watchdogs report that the U.S. is missing over 190,000 AK-47 assault rifles in Iraq. This is the work of the “Baghdad Mafia” and its godfather, Moqtada Al Sadr.

 

Mike Evans spoke with high level government contacts in Iraq who told him that many of the armaments are in the hands of Iranian sub-contractor, Al Sadr and his Mahdi Army. 

 

Evans was the first U.S. journalist invited for a State visit earlier this year by Kurdish President Massoud Barzani. While in Kurdistan, he met with dozens of government officials. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity, fearing they would be targeted by Iran if identified.

 

According to the Iraqi officials with whom Evans spoke, Iran now has control of this large cache of U.S. weapons. It is safe to say that some of these same weapons have been used against U.S. troops in recent months. 

Al Sadr is the son of Ayatollah Muhammad Al Sadr, who is said to have been murdered by Saddam Hussein’s henchmen in 1999. While the younger Al Sadr does not hold an official position in the Iraqi government, his influence is felt extensively. It is widely recognized that the Mahdi Army and not al-Qaeda is public enemy number 1 in Iraq.

 

Al Sadr and his Mahdi Army once enjoyed the blessing of Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki.   Al Sadr was protected from interference by American troops, and in return, Al Maliki enjoyed the support of the Mahdi Army. It was Al Sadr’s ragtag band of fanatics that provided Al Maliki’s government with some legitimacy in the eyes of the Iraqi people. Al Maliki made Al Sadr part of the Iraqi political scene, showered him with funds and bestowed authority on him. 

 

Al Sadr’s impact in Iraq was evident in July when he pulled 30 of his deputies and six ministers from Al Maliki’s government. This was a blatant attempt to damage the Iraqi government beyond repair. 

 

Al Sadr’s Mahdi Army is also widely involved in corruption and extortion using tactics such as kidnapping, robbery, and of course, the always lucrative trafficking in stolen weapons. And, as is usual for these he-men terrorists, they hide behind innocent women and children, often forcing entire families to provide protection and anonymity. 

 

Al Sadr has moved his command center to Iran, according to Evans sources. His followers, however, are adamant that he is still in Iraq and is being protected by his supporters. Theories abound regarding Al Sadr’s reasons for lying low, the most well-known and oft-repeated being that he is a target of U.S. forces. 

 

Iran is the center of gravity for Middle East terror. This is due in large part to Ahmadinejad’s obsession that he will be the one to usher in the Mahdi, the Twelfth Imam, and will control the world. The puppet, Ahmadinejad, and the mullahs that pull his strings, are using proxies and sub-contractors throughout the Middle East in the Palestinian Authority, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, and are using his fervor to possess nuclear weapons to achieve their end. 

 

The Mahdi Army now has more than 60,000 troops in Iraq. Now, Tehran is apparently in control of some 190,000 U.S. weapons that will considerably improve their arsenal and provide excellent training tools for the next battalion of Mahdi Army recruits in Iraq.