Jundallah in the Face of Hezbollah

Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein wagered throughout the years of war with Iran on the implosion of the situation between nationalism and ethnicities. The official Iraqi protocol used the expression Iranian ‘peoples’ instead of ‘people’. Saddam provided shelter, weapons, and training to the People’s Mojahedin while awaiting the day he would set up a pro-Saddam regime in Tehran. However, this day never came. All of Iraq became pro-Tehran. The strongest movement among the opposition factions both on the domestic and foreign levels became a group of persecuted refugees.

The Jundallah attacks against the Unity Gathering are not an achievement of Saddam’s dream, or rather are not so till now. The attack, which targeted the meeting organized by the Revolutionary Guards leaders for initiating a reconciliation between the leaders of Sunni and Shiite tribes, confirms the bad condition of the situation that is still heavily controlled. But it took place on the eve of the meeting of Iranian, American, and European officials for following up the nuclear file, and it is feared that the attack will affect this meeting, after Tehran expressed some leniency in the previous meeting.

It is obvious that those harmed by this new Iranian trend were behind the incident in order to push the Islamic Republic to be more extremist and keep the sword of sanctions hanging above its head. The extremism appeared in the primary reaction of the Iranian officials as soon as the incident took place. Speaker of Iranian parliament Ali Larinjani accused the United States and Britain to be behind the operation and said that President Barack Obama “has said he will extend his hand towards Iran, but with this terrorist action he has burned his hand.”

However, on the other hand, this event could lead to widening the scope of negotiations between both parties in order to include regional security, and hence Pakistan, which is directly involved by what is taking place at its borders. It is waging a broad campaign on “its Taliban” and needs to coordinate with its neighbors, just as it coordinates with Washington and NATO.

Iran was able to coexist with all the wars that raged in neighboring Afghanistan, since the United States held an alliance with the Mujahideen for fighting the Soviet Union until after the end of this alliance and the wars that consumed its leaders as well as Taliban’s access to power with the support of Islamabad… up to the US-NATO invasion of Afghanistan and the continuous Pakistani military campaign against the movement and its supporters among the tribes – all this in addition to coexisting with Bush’s threats. However, throughout all this time, i.e. since thirty years, the regime was not faced with a threat such as the one it faces today. Domestically, there is a peaceful opposition movement led by some symbols of the Islamic revolution. There is also an armed opposition announced by the Sunni Jundullah, who demand self-government, according to their leader Abdulmalek Rigi. The borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan, which constituted an area for smuggling drugs fortified against Taliban and Al Qaeda is no longer fortified. There are those who violate it, raising high the flag of sectarian tribalism in the face of another sectarian flag.

Jundullah is in a confrontation with Hezbollah, and between them and in their shadow are divided bickering peoples. It is feared that their wars will extend to other countries.