Anti-Sadr "robocalls" driving Iraqis nuts

Posted by Joshua Holland at 10:37 AM on December 15, 2006.

American-style democracy. It's a beautiful thing.

Nir Rosen at Iraqslogger [via TPM Muckraker]:

A mysterious psychological operations campaign is underway in Iraq, with Muqtada al Sadr's Mahdi Army as its target. In recent days, Baghdad residents report receiving phone calls that caller ID show to be originating from outside Iraq. When the phone is answered, the listener hears a recorded message from an anonymous man speaking formal Arabic. He condemns the Mahdi Army and describes how it destroys Iraqi infrastructure, including electricity. Baghdad residents are afraid to discuss details of the message over phone lines, believing them to be monitored. But an IraqSlogger source tells us the unnerving message left at least one Baghdad woman in tears. Who is responsible for these calls?

Tagged as: iraq, robocalls

Joshua Holland is a staff writer at Alternet and a regular contributor to The Gadflyer.