450 Iraqi intellectuals on death list

azzaman: A militia group with immense power in Iraq has issued names of 461 intellectuals which it says it has ordered its armed men to assassinate.

The name list is distributed across the country and copies are not hard to obtain in Baghdad.

Several Iraq-related websites have issued the names.

The list includes some of the brightest Iraqi authors, journalists, doctors and scientists.

Azzaman obtained the list from the Iraqi Writers Union which declined to reveal the name of the factional group calling for the killing of the 461 intellectuals, citing security concerns.

Leaflets containing the names warn these intellectuals that "they are now (legitimate) targets for assassination."

The union urged the government to take immediate measures to protect the intellectuals.

"The authorities bear the responsibility for safeguarding the souls of this elite group of Iraqi intellectuals who are now a target for killing.

"The list is part of an organized, foreign-backed campaign to terrorize Iraqi brains," a source at the union said.

Assassinations of Iraqi professors, doctors and other professionals started shortly after the 2003 U.S. invasion.

But the source said such killings have surged recently due to the current collapse of law and order in the country.

The government has so far declined to comment on the latest wave of assassinations and warnings that hundreds of intellectuals can be targeted in the future. Link