From Alaa at The Mesopotamian:

I appeal to people of the World; Please, Please, Please hear the true voice of the Iraqi people. We are facing a terrible conspiracy. The people of the South are being persecuted and massacred, not by the Americans, not by the Iraqi Army and Iraqi police. The gangs of the “Mehdi” army financed and recruited by the Iranian security forces and others, this has become amply clear, are massacring the people, right now as I am writing these lines. As one caller to the “Fayhaa” T.V. station is saying right now from Kut, for the first time in history the Wahabis, the Iranian hardliners and the Baathists have formed an alliance against the people of Iraq and particularly against the Shiaa people. Horrifying stories are emerging from the South.

In the name of the Iraqi people and the Shiaa people, as God is my witness, we appeal to our friends everywhere to come to the rescue of our people in the South in particular. The people of Kut are fighting the gangs with their bare hands at the moment. Don’t expect any coherent words from me now. Please do not listen to the lies. The vast overwhelming majority of the Shiaa people in particular are dead against these gangs. They don’t want them; please believe me, and may God strike me dead immediately if I tell you lies or my own personal feeling only.

The greatest danger is not in Najaf, but in Basrah where the main oil wealth of the country is being jeopardized (and so is the world economy and the security of the entire free world), and placed at the mercy of Gangs financed and employed by the Iranians, Al Qaeda and the Baathists. So much for the much-vaunted success of the British at controlling the region, they have allowed the thugs to gain control of the area. Basrah is in grave danger , Basrah, Basrah, Basrah; not only us but the whole free world is threatened. Can anybody understand, will anybody hear?

So what is to be done? Only one thing: to give full support to the Iraqi Government and Security forces, and allow the people to mobilize under their banner to fight the final battle - I mean real support and real arms and real capability.

No one, but no one, is going to rob us of our hopes and our future. No one can succeed in subduing the majority of the people of Iraq again, least of all gangs of thieves, thugs, robbers and kidnappers. It is better to die a thousand deaths than to submit to the forces of darkness and evil.