US 'prepares for a coup by arming Iraqi factions'

Baghdad: The attack that destroyed the two minarets of Al Askari Imams' shrine in Samarra, strengthened fears of Sunni-Shiite sectarian civil war.

The development is in sync with the rearmament run of different factions by Iran and the United States in Iraq, say Iraqi politicians.

Abu Hamza Al Kinani, a former figure in Moqtada Al Sadr's Mahdi Army, told Gulf News: "Iran's Revolutionary Guard used to provide weapons to the Mahdi Army and train its fighters how to trap cars and make roadside explosives."

He added: "The Mahdi Army benefited from former Iraqi army elements who joined it after the overthrow of Saddam Hussain's regime." gulfnews.com

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