Leading Iraqi Shi’ite loses lung cancer battle

One of Iraq’s most poweful Shi’ite leaders has died in hospital in Iran.

Abdul Aziz al-Hakim has been a prime political mover in Iraq since the US led invasion in 2003. His position as head of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council allowed him close ties with the Americans as well as his fellow Iraqis. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2007 and opted for treatment in Tehran. Al-Hakim’s support for Shi’ite self rule in the southern Iraq has been seen by Sunnis and Shi’ite’s alike as an Iranian plot to gain control of the region’s holy cities and rich oil fields. He died from complications related to his cancer treatment at the age of 60.

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