Ayatollah assassinated #onthisday #history
4Ayatollah Al-Hakim had returned to Iraq on the 12th May 2003 following the overthrow of Saddam's regime by the U.S.-led invasion after spending more than two decades of exile in neighboring Iran.There he emerged as one of the most influential Iraqi leaders, with his longtime opposition to Saddam gaining him immense credibility, especially among the majority Shia population.
Initially, he was very critical of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and by the time of his death, he remained distrustful, but publicly urged Iraqis to abandon violence, at least for the time being, and give the newly appointed Iraqi led interim government a chance to earn their trust.
Though it should be noted that Shia organizations he had close links to were suspected of perpetrating sectarian killings even before his death.
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