Sistani aide slain by mosque guard in Basra; 5th aide to die

Above: Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani is Iraq's most important Shi'ite religious figure, and a major power broker behind the scenes.

Gunmen killed an aide to Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in the southern city of Basra, police said Saturday, the latest in a string of attacks targeting associates of Iraq's leading Shiite cleric.

The shooting Friday night was a sign of continuing tensions after clashes last week between Shiite militias. Police said Muslim Battat, an imam, was killed after evening prayers at a central Basra mosque.

The Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, the country's largest Shiite political group, claims allegiance to Sistani, which has put its followers at odds with those loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr.

A guard at the Sistani compound in Najaf was arrested and accused of stabbing the legal advisor during a robbery, not for political purposes.

Read the rest at the LA Times

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