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Apr 11, 2008, 12:01 GMT
Al-Sadr's brother-in-law killed in Iraq's Najaf (1st Lead)
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The poo is going to hit the fan now...
We bought the Sunni off with American dollars to get them to turn in the other direction, and to shoot at al Qaeda instead of us. We walled off their villages, not allowing free access without armed inspection of who was going where - this helped to block al Qaeda suicide bombers, as well as Shiite incursions into the areas that the Sunni had left after the Shia moved westward in Baghdad to take over Sunni neighborhoods.
That also likely imperiled the Green Zone, as the Shia could more comfortably fire their munitions at the area from the east.
One primary cause of the violence reduction, allowing us more focus on al Qaeda, was al-Sadr's ceasefire - that, for the moment, took the Shiite militias out of the fight.
Now that asshole al-Maliki has tried to boost his reputation, and failed in Basra, the British cannot pull out, and we cannot reduce our own force strength, because we're needed to prop up this infantile Iraqi 'army' that al-Maliki took years to paste together. As it stands, there's no intermixing in their brigades - essentially it's a Sunni group, or a Shia group.
When those Shiite brigades wwnt to Basra, their families were threatened, as the Mehdi knew who they were. The Shia wait outside the Sunni enclaves noting who is more likely to wander from the safety of the walls, making them easier to kidnap. This is 'West Side Story', without the music, and without an end to gang warfare.
And Bush proceeds, in blissful ignorance, without a clue as to the situation he's put the U.S. into. Same as Katrina - no brain cells firing, and no comprehension.
What's sad is seeing some exhibiting a functioning medulla actually standing up for President Schmuck and Jabba the Veep.
www.nytimes.com/2008/04/11/world/middleeast/11sadrcity.html?em&ex=120805920 0&en=bf4a61f50647543b&ei=5087%0A
'Iraqi soldiers, suffering from a shortage of experienced noncommissioned officers, have often been firing wildly, expending vast quantities of ammunition to try to silence militias that are equipped with AK-47’s, mortars and rockets. But pulling back from their positions earlier, they now appear to be holding their ground — albeit with considerable American support.'
kill em all; let their god sort them out wherever he or she is.
Somebody help me here...is Sadrs' brother in law the wicked witch of the east or west? I never can remember. And is it just me, or does anyone else feel the need to send Sadr a care package full of toothbrushes everytime you see him speak. It would appear he dines almost exclusively on sh** cookies...maybe that would explain most of the stuff flying out of his rag headed mouth.
jamba and guada you're my kind of guys. I don't think anything will really help these scumballs - but hey who cares.
'Now that asshole al-Maliki has tried to boost his reputation, and failed in Basra, the British cannot pull out, and we cannot reduce our own force strength, because we're needed to prop up this infantile Iraqi 'army' that al-Maliki took years to paste together. '
Looks like Iran ain't going to get a piece after all! LOL!!!!
www.nypost.com/seven/04102008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/irans_busted_i raq_bid_105852.htm?page=0
IRAN'S BUSTED IRAQ BID
BASRA 'RISING' WAS TEHRAN'S OP
April 10, 2008 -- A GAMBLE that proved too costly.
That's how analysts in Tehran describe events last month in Basra. Iran's state-run media have de facto confirmed that this was no spontaneous 'uprising.' Rather, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) tried to seize control of Iraq's second-largest city using local Shiite militias as a Trojan horse.
Tehran's decision to make the gamble was based on three assumptions:
* Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki wouldn't have the courage to defend Basra at the risk of burning his bridges with the Islamic Republic in Iran.
* The international force would be in no position to intervene in the Basra battle. The British, who controlled Basra until last December, had no desire to return, especially if this meant getting involved in fighting. The Americans, meanwhile, never had enough troops to finish off al-Qaeda-in-Iraq, let alone fight Iran and its local militias on a new front.
* The Shiite clerical leadership in Najaf would oppose intervention by the new Iraqi security forces in a battle that could lead to heavy Shiite casualties.
The Iranian plan - developed by Revolutionary Guard's Quds (Jerusalem) unit, which is in charge of 'exporting the Islamic Revolution' - aimed at a quick victory. To achieve that, Tehran spent vast sums persuading local Iraqi security personnel to switch sides or to remain neutral.
The hoped-for victory was to be achieved as part of a massive Shiite uprising spreading from Baghdad to the south via heartland cities such as Karbala, Kut and al-Amarah. A barrage of rockets and missiles against the 'Green Zone' in Baghdad and armed attacks on a dozen police stations and Iraqi army barracks in the Shiite heartland were designed to keep the Maliki government under pressure.
To seize control of Basra, Quds commanders used units known as Special Groups. These consist of individuals recruited from among the estimated 1.8 million Iraqi refugees who spent more than two decades in Iran during Saddam Hussein's reign. They returned to Iraq shortly after Saddam's fall and started to act as liaisons between Quds and local Shiite militias.
In last month's operation, Quds commanders used the name and insignia of the Mahdi Army, a militia originally created by the maverick cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, as a cover for the Special Groups.
Initially, Quds commanders appeared to have won their bet. Their Special Groups and Mahdi Army allies easily seized control of key areas of Basra when more than 500 Iraqi security personnel abandoned their positions and disappeared into the woodwork.
Soon, however, the tide turned. Maliki proved that he had the courage to lead the new Iraqi Security Force (ISF) into battle, even if that meant confronting Iran. The ISF showed that it had the capacity and the will to fight.
Only a year ago, the ISF had been unable to provide three brigades (some 9,000 men) to help the US-led 'surge' restore security in Baghdad. This time, the ISF had no difficulty deploying 15 brigades (30,000 men) for the battle of Basra.
Led by Gen. Mohan al-Freiji, the Iraqi force sent to Basra was the largest that the ISF had put together since its creation five years ago. This was the first time that the ISF was in charge of a major operation from start to finish and was fighting a large, well-armed adversary without US advisers.
During the Basra battles, the ISF did call on British and US forces to provide some firepower, especially via air strikes against enemy positions. But, in another first, the ISF used its own aircraft to transport troops and materiel and relied on its own communication system.
The expected call from the Najaf ayatollahs to stop 'Shiite fratricide' failed to materialize. Grand Ayatollah Ali-Muhammad Sistani, the top cleric in Iraq, gave his blessings to the Maliki-launched operation. More broadly, the Shiite uprisings in Baghdad, Karbala, Najaf and other cities that Quds commanders had counted upon didn't happen. The 'Green Zone' wasn't evacuated in panic under a barrage of rockets and missiles.
After more than a week of fighting, the Iraqis forced the Quds commanders to call for a cease-fire through Sadr. The Iraqi commander agreed - provided that the Quds force directly guaranteed it. To highlight Iran's role in the episode, he insisted that the Quds force dispatch a senior commander to finalize the accord.
The Iran-backed side lost more than 600 men, with more than 1,000 injured. The ISF lost 88 dead and 122 wounded.
Some analysts suggest this was the first war between new Iraq and the Islamic Republic. If so, the Iraqis won.
[...]
On the political front, Sadr now finds himself completely isolated. Key leaders of his own movement are now urging him to accept the Maliki government’s demands to disband the militia entirely.
Saturday, Iraq’s president and two vice-presidents, along with every other major political group in Iraq (except the Sadrists) joined in the condemnation of Sadr’s militia, and endorsed Prime Minister Maliki’s demand that the militia disarm. Sadr’s militia is now virtually the only militia left in Iraq that still maintains an outlaw posture, the only one that still challenges the authority of the Iraqi Security Forces or the Coalition. (Other major militias have disbanded, transforming into political organizations and joining — or becoming — legitimate security forces, which explains why you never hear about any other militia in the news.)
The joint statement is dramatic and sweeping. (I’ve only been able to find a translation on ProQuest; subscription required). Not only does it enshrine major concessions among the various factions in order to secure a united front against Sadr, but the insistence upon the rule of law and respect for central authority shine through in the clearest terms. Among other things, the signatories pledge to:
2. Firmly supporting the government and its different security agencies in their endeavour to face the militias and outlaws; and valuing the role of the armed forces in imposing security and order in Basra and other governorates. […]
4. Urging all the parties and political entities to dissolve their militias immediately and to hand their weapons over to the government. […]
9. Making use of the tribal efforts; and recruiting their elements in the armed forces as a temporary plan dictated by the current situation. [This is a clear reference to the Awakening Movement, which the Shiites at first strongly resisted]. […]
12. Calling for the expediting of the amendment of the constitution. [Another Sunni demand.]
13. Cancelling all the illegal judicial formations; and resorting solely to the official judicial authority. […]
After the joint statement was made, a Sunni lawmaker had this to say:
“I think the government is now enjoying the support of most political groups because it has adopted a correct approach to the militia problem,” said Hussein al-Falluji, a lawmaker from parliament’s largest Sunni Arab bloc, the three-party Iraqi Accordance Front. Al- Hashemi heads one of the three, the Iraqi Islamic Party.
The Accordance Front pulled out of al-Maliki’s Cabinet in August to protest his policies. The newfound support over militias could help al-Maliki persuade the five Sunni ministers who quit their posts to return.
If he succeeds, that would constitute a big step toward national reconciliation, something the U.S. has long demanded.
corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZDhhNTEzNzdkYmY4ZWY3Njg1NWYxOGQ3MjQ4Z GM2ZDA=
Sp PB, are these the actions of someone who won a great victory, you cancer in my county?
===================================================
Al-Sadr called off a mass march planned for Baghdad on Wednesday — the fifth anniversary of the U.S. capture of the capital — after hundreds of his followers in areas south of Baghdad complained that Iraqi security forces were keeping them away.
Despite the decision to call off the march, the Baghdad military command clamped a vehicle ban on the capital, saying unauthorized cars, trucks and motorcycles would not be allowed on the streets from 5 a.m. to midnight on Wednesday. The announcement was broadcast on Iraqi state TV.
www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,347908,00.html
In a surprise announcement, radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said Monday that he was considering whether to disband his militia, the Mahdi Army, one of the most powerful armed groups in Iraq.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has taken a tough stand against the militia, has said it must be disbanded or Sadr's supporters will be blocked from participating in upcoming local elections.
Sadr's main stronghold in Baghdad, Sadr City, home to 2.5 million people, has been encircled by cordons of Iraqi army and police, blocking all vehicle access. Many residents were fleeing fighting in several neighborhoods on foot.
www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89435765
Aide Says Cleric Al-Sadr Willing to Disband Militia
An aide to Muqtada al-Sadr said Monday the Shiite cleric will consult with top religious leaders and disband his Mahdi Army if they order it. The militia has been fighting government forces in several places in Iraq.
Aide Hassan al-Zarqani said from Iran that al-Sadr will consult with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and other top Shiite clerics on whether to disband the army, Reuters reported.
'If they order the Mahdi Army to disband, Muqtada al-Sadr and the Sadr movement will obey the orders of the religious leaders,' he said.
The surprising news came the same day of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's televised demands that al-Sadr disband the army or his followers would be barred from upcoming elections.
www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/middle_east/jan-june08/iraq_04-07.html
Whelp, here is what the 'Grand Ayatollah' Ali al-Sistani said you tub of lard:
ayatollah Sistani on the Mahdi Army: “the law is the only authority in the country”
By Bill RoggioApril 9, 2008 9:55 PM
sistani.jpg
Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani.
With the Iraqi government applying pressure to the Sadrist movement and Muqtada al Sadr to disband the Mahdi Army, Iraq’s senior Shia cleric has weighed in on the issue. Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the most revered Shia cleric in Iraq, backed the government’s position that the Mahdi Army should surrender its weapons... [...]
Sistani spoke through Jalal el Din al Saghier, a senior leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, a rival political party to the Sadrist movement. Saghier was clear that Sistani did not sanction the Mahdi Army and called for it to disarm.
'Sistani has a clear opinion in this regard; the law is the only authority in the country,' Saghier told Voices of Iraq, indicating Sistani supports Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki and the government in the effort to sideline the Mahdi Army. 'Sistani asked the Mahdi army to give in weapons to the government.'
www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/04/ayatollah_sistani_on.php
So there you have it mookie, You said you would disband your group of thugs if the 'clerics' told you to do si and the grand poobah and head monkey in charge told you to disband them. You wouldn't want people to think you are a liar now would you?
It began by creating a crisis when al-Maliki went off the reservation, taking an ill-trained army whose members' families could be threatened by the very people amongst the militias they were supposed to fight. Iran did NOT start that - al-Maliki did. Who invaded who?
Over 1000 of al-Maliki's forces refused to fight, or defected. The American troops (and in Basra the British) became the backbone of the Iraqi Army, which falls down if it tries to stand on its own, whether in Basra or Sadr City.
I mentioned days ago that the Sunni and Kurds, and other Shia groups, saw an opportunity to band together to make al-Sadr the troublemaker. Where have you been with that recognition? They'll make agreements, just like the supposed deal to re-instate Baathists that accomplished nothing of substance. There's more keeping the players apart than bringing them together, and joining against al-Sadr (and having the U.S. forces to do the REAL work in Sadr City), is offset by other problems, including oil revenue sharing. Those political issues would not be resolved if al-Sadr died tomorrow.
First al-Qaeda was the problem; and AQI did not even EXIST before Saddam's ouster. Then the Mehdi and other armed militias became the problem, plus suicide bombers, the battling in ther Kurdish area, and other local issues. No electricity, not enough water, no infrastructure, government corruption, no jobs.
BEHIND all of this lies the political problems, and removing al-Sadr accomplishes nothing except to remove a threat and a distraction. There are REALLY ANGRY people now in Sadr City, blaming everyone involved. This is a NEW problem as such problems go, and involving more attacks on the Green Zone, supposedly a 'safer' area.
I don't care what they put on paper - until the politicians can learn to deal with each other 'for the good of the nation' instead of sectarian goals, the militias will remained more 'armed' than an NRA member in Texas. Until the militias are disarmed, they really cannot move ahead with other issues, as outbreaks can come from bombing mosques, assassinations, suicide bombings, or any other number of causes.
Only a bloody idiot would have been declaring 'victory' in the face of enough constant threats that we cannot draw down troops - THAT'S a real measure of success. If the troops are still there, we're not achieving 'success'. Ask Petraeus.
www.nytimes.com/2008/04/11/world/middleeast/11sadrcity.html?_r=2&hp&oref=sl ogin&oref=slogin
(Part of a 2-page story)
Iraqi politics has played a role in shaping the military strategy. Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has decreed that American ground forces should not push into the heart of Sadr City, according to a senior American officer. American commanders also want to limit the United States’ profile in an area that has long been a bastion of support for Moktada al-Sadr, the anti-American cleric.
But American commanders also see this as an opportunity to shift more responsibility to the Iraqi troops — in this case Iraq’s 11th Army Division, one of the newest divisions in the Iraqi military. Whether they like it or not, Iraqi troops are hundreds of yards ahead of the farthest American position and in the thick of the fight. “The I.A. needs to start doing it on their own,” Lieutenant Bowen, the 23-year-old commander of Third Platoon, Bravo Company, told a reporter who accompanied him on the mission, referring to the Iraqi Army.
In an urban battlefield in which there are often no clear lines and militias still roam the narrow side streets, American soldiers are very much at risk and in the fray. “There is no good liaison right now between the I.A. and the coalition forces,” Lieutenant Bowen said. “It makes things kind of confusing to come up here not knowing exactly what you are getting yourself into tactical-wise. So you come up, figure out what the tactical situation is and try to push through from there.”
As the Iraqi and American officers huddled, the Iraqi lieutenant said some of his soldiers had been receiving threatening calls on their cellphones from members of the Madhi Army warning them to leave. The Iraqi lieutenant could not say how the Mahdi Army obtained their phone numbers, but some Iraqi soldiers who participated in the Basra fighting deserted after their families were threatened.
(General Petraeus continues to make more sense than the rabid 'Bushees', who see this as a race war against anyone in Iraq. The latest assassination risks a full stoppage of the cease-fire, complicating the mission of our troops. While other militias who resent the Mahdi now see an opportunity to gang up on them, removal of the Mahdi as a threat simply leaves other groups battling for power, like any gang-riddled city where the turf wars simply change in location and participants)
voanews.com/english/2008-04-11-voa62.cfm
The top U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, has condemned the assassination of a senior aide to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf. VOA correspondent Meredith Buel has details from the Pentagon.
General Petraeus told a small group of reporters at the Pentagon that the killing of Sadr advisor Riyadh al-Nouri potentially threatens weeks of calm in Najaf. 'The assassination in Najaf is obviously a cause for significant concern. I am sure that there are numerous calls for calm, for restraint in response. I know that there has been a curfew established already in Najaf. I am sure there will be pledges to bring to justice whoever it was that carried out this murderous action,' he said.
A spokesman for Sadr in Najaf said the cleric is calling on his supporters for calm, but is blaming what he called occupying forces and those working with them for the assassination.
General Petraeus denied U.S. forces were involved. 'I have no idea what the basis of that would be. We do not have forces operating in Najaf. This is an act that we condemn as do all other Iraqi leaders and coalition leaders,' he said.
Tension between Sadr's militia and Iraqi government forces recently exploded into violence when Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered a crackdown on Shi'ite militias and armed gangs in the southern city of Basra last month. Sadr's militia responded with attacks in Basra and Baghdad, showering the U.S.-controlled Green Zone with rockets and mortars.
American and Iraqi officials insist the Basra crackdown was not aimed at Sadr's political movement, but at criminals and Iranian-backed splinter groups. General Petraeus called on all parties in Najaf to continue efforts to keep the holy city peaceful. 'There has actually been very constructive dialog and engagement between the different parties in Najaf. Between the provincial governor and council members, the police chief, various security force leaders and of course it is in everyone's interest to maintain the peace in the holy city of Najaf,' he said.
Clashes have continued in Basra and Baghdad, despite Sadr's order for his militiamen to stand down.
Like someone who has to say 'you know,' in every sentence. If you had a point, you would not need 'L O L', the sign of a jackass.
(As I've said many times, al Qaeda goes for notoriety through violent incidents, but they are NOT the major problem in Iraq. They're like tooth decay - when you don't clean properly, you create cavities, and germs move in. The real problem, however, is the internicine warfare between the Iraqi sects, and Iran's backing of the Shiites in their march towards hegemony, now that Saddam is out of the picture)
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/11/AR200804110160 6.html?hpid=topnews
Last week's violence in Basra and Baghdad has convinced the Bush administration that actions by Iran, and not al-Qaeda, are the primary threat inside Iraq, and has sparked a broad reassessment of policy in the region, according to senior U.S. officials.
Evidence of an increase in Iranian weapons, training and direction for the Shiite militias that battled U.S. and Iraqi security forces in those two cities has fixed new U.S. attention on what Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates yesterday called Tehran's 'malign' influence, the officials said.
The intensified focus on Iran coincides with diminished emphasis on al-Qaeda in Iraq as the leading justification for an ongoing U.S. military presence in Iraq.
In congressional hearings this week, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus said the U.S. military has driven al-Qaeda from Baghdad, Anbar province and central Iraq, and he depicted the group as now largely concentrated in a reduced territory around the northern city of Mosul.
During their Washington visit, Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker barely mentioned al-Qaeda in Iraq but spoke extensively of Iran.
With 'al-Qaeda in retreat and disarray' in Iraq, said one official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record, 'we see other obstacles that were under the waterline more clearly. . . . The Iranian-armed militias are now the biggest threat to internal order.'
(The longer-term problem is that al Qaeda is not like some defeated army, but rather a movement based on a state of mind that can create suicide bombers. They can be controlled by force, and had idiot Bremer not dismissed the Iraqi Army, they would never have had a foothold in the chaos that followed the loss of the Iraqi government as a functioning entity).
Now we find that the Admin. had no idea where its problems originated, which may explain in good part why the struggle in Iraq continues. AQI was at least an identifiable group, particularly with some spectacular bombings as a calling card, and spokespeople. Now, it becomes clearer that the Shiite groups influenced by Iran are the lingering problem.
This, from our same dumb-ass leadership who could not imagine that Hamas could win an election in 2006, driving out Fatah from power. With a Shia majority in Iraq, particularly in the south and Basra, other Shiite groups will band together to reduce al-Sadr's influence; yet Iran supports all of these groups.
Schmuck Bush just had it all explained to him. True to timeline, dum-dum our resident propagandist will catch up with it around August. AQI was the problem that our military could deal with, while the Shia backed by Iran are the REAL long-term issue, as the majority religion in Iraq. The other Arab Sunni-majority countries, while fearing the growth of Iran's influence, are essentially backing us publicly while contributing nothing materially.
afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gFNqrqcg_owqCeeMO85h8qC9gnGQ
WASHINGTON (AFP) — Recent violence in Basra has convinced the administration of President George W. Bush that Iran and not Al-Qaeda is now the primary threat to US interests in Iraq, The Washington Post said Saturday. Citing unnamed senior US officials, the newspaper said this view has sparked a broad reassessment of Washington's policy in the region and prompted Defense Secretary Robert Gates to speak about Tehran's 'malign' influence there.
During their Washington visit, General David Petraeus, the top US military commander in Iraq, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker barely mentioned Al-Qaeda in Iraq but spoke extensively of Iran, the paper said. With 'Al-Qaeda in retreat and disarray' in Iraq 'we see other obstacles that were under the waterline more clearly .. The Iranian-armed militias are now the biggest threat to internal order,' the Post quoted one official as saying.
As a result of this new approach, the administration has initiated an inter-agency assessment of what is known about Iranian activities and intentions and how to combat them, the report said. President Bush for his part reiterated, in an interview with ABC News, that if Iran continues to help militias in Iraq, 'then we'll deal with them.'
(Big talk; considering how we're bogged down in Iraq. First it was WMD, then al Qaeda, and now Iran - ANY reason in order to justify our failed strategy).
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