Editing Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (section)

===Post-invasion===
With the fall of Saddam Hussein after the invasion of Iraq, SCIRI quickly rose to prominence in Iraq, working closely with the other Shia parties.  It gained popularity among Shia Iraqis by providing social services and humanitarian aid, following the pattern of Islamic organizations in other countries such as [[Hamas]] and the [[Muslim Brotherhood]]. SCIRI is alleged to receive money and weapons from Iran, and is often accused of being a proxy for Iranian interests. The party leaders have toned down many of the party's public positions and committed it to [[democracy]] and peaceful cooperation.  SCIRI's power base is in the Shia-majority southern Iraq. The council's armed wing, the [[Badr Organization]], reportedly has had an estimated strength of between 4,000 and 10,000 men. Its [[Baghdad]] offices are based in a house that previously belonged to [[Ba'ath Party|Ba'athist]] Deputy Prime Minister [[Tariq Aziz]].

Its leader, Ayatollah al-Hakim, was killed in a [[Imam Ali Mosque bombing|car bomb attack]] in the Iraqi city of [[Najaf]] on August 29, 2003. The car bomb exploded as the ayatollah was leaving a religious shrine ([[Imam Ali Shrine|Imam Ali Mosque]]) in the city, just after [[Friday prayers]], killing more than 85. According to Kurdish Intelligence officials, Yassin Jarad, allegedly [[Abu Musab al-Zarqawi]]'s father-in-law, carried out the car bombing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-wozarq0208,0,4101449.story|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050210005436/http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-wozarq0208,0,4101449.story|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 February 2005|title=Zarqawi kin reportedly bombed shrine in Iraq|last=Bazzi|first=Mohammad|date=7 February 2005|work=Newsday|access-date=24 February 2018}}</ref>

[[Image:Al-Hakim meets G.W. Bush.jpg|300px|thumb|SCIRI's leader Abdal Aziz al-Hakim meeting President George W. Bush, 2006]]