Al-Sadr Aide Assassinated In Iraq

Oh damn, that's a shame.

BAGHDAD - Gunmen assassinated a top aide of anti-American leader Muqtada al-Sadr on Friday, sharpening a Shiite power struggle that has already triggered fighting between the cleric's followers and the U.S.-backed Iraqi government.

Riyadh al-Nouri, director of al-Sadr's office in Najaf, was gunned down by an unknown number assailants near his home after returning from prayer services, police and Sadrist officials said.

Al-Sadr blamed the Americans and their Iraqi allies for the killing but called for calm — presumably to avoid a showdown at a time his Mahdi Army militia is under pressure by Iraqi and U.S.-led forces in Baghdad and southern Iraq. (H/T - Yahoo!)

I try not to take pleasure in an event that will escalate the infighting in Iraq, but I have to admit that when I read this article, I giggled a little bit. Okay, I laughed a lot . . . out loud. In my opinion, the death of any member of al-Sadr's movement is good news for Iraq.