Basra returning to normal after Sadr truce

DuH2 · #1 (**permalink**) 03-31-2008, 02:34 AM

Quote:

By Aref Mohammed Reuters Published: March 31, 2008

BASRA, Iraq: Life appeared to be returning to normal in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on Monday after Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his followers off the streets, but clashes continued in Baghdad.

Sadr called the halt on Sunday, nearly a week after a crackdown on his followers in Basra led to Iraq's worst fighting for months, spreading across the Shi'ite south and the capital.

A Reuters reporter in Basra said Sadr's masked Mehdi Army militia fighters, who had been out on the streets for most of the past week, were no longer to be seen in many areas.

"We have control of the towns around Basra and also inside the city. There are no clashes anywhere in Basra. Now we are dismantling roadside bombs from the streets," said Major-General Mohammed Jawan Huweidi, commander of the Iraqi Army's 14th division.

Shops were beginning to reopen, some for the first time in nearly a week. Schools were due to reopen on Tuesday, the military operations room in Basra said.

http://www.iht.com/articles/reuters/...WD-UK-IRAQ.php

I think* Sadr has realized he faces a well equipped motivated Iraqi Government/Military and if he wants to be a player in Iraq his best bet is to Political.
If he goes the other route(insurgent) I think* he's realizes now that his power will be destroyed and that he risks quickly lose support amongst a people tired of war.

The Iraqis didn't go all out in Basra they went in and poked them and basically sent a message of you can co-operate or be destroyed.

It would be better off for all though if he had suffered a severe case of lead poisoning in 2005 or so.

Andaras · #2 (**permalink**) 03-31-2008, 03:10 AM

Maliki is winning, lol! I guess that's why hundreds of his soldiers are deserting during the battle.

lunecat · #3 (**permalink**) 03-31-2008, 03:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andaras

Maliki is winning, lol! I guess that's why hundreds of his soldiers are deserting during the battle.

Prfffft

A prime case of warpped logic there!!!

If the Iraqi forces (as you claim) are deserting in such numbers why would the Iranian backed mobster Sadr quite the fight?

junjobx2199 · #4 (**permalink**) 03-31-2008, 05:40 AM

If this isn’t the perfect situation to show truly the surge isn’t the real reason for calm in this region then I don’t know what is. They bartered a deal for a cease fire and that agreement is falling apart. It’s the same old shell game. These people are torn between their religious figures and belief’s and to a fledgling government that is constructed with them not in mind. It’s like saying to all religious institutions here in the states that all denominations will now be catholic and not Baptist, Pena costal, ECT. It just wont wash that well. The form of government and social set up are not going to work in this region. It’s only a matter of time before Al sadre becomes our worst nightmare "AGAIN"! To quote George W Bush "We don’t negotiate with terrorist". Well that’s if they don’t help meet our intended outcome of political cover for the people that approve of this war.

DuH2 · #5 (**permalink**) 03-31-2008, 01:20 PM

Surge had to do with al Qaeda primarily and bringing stability so that poltical, economic, and military progress could be made with the Iraqis.

It worked.

f0ca1 · #6 (**permalink**) 04-01-2008, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DuH2

Surge had to do with al Qaeda primarily and bringing stability so that poltical, economic, and military progress could be made with the Iraqis.

It worked.

Quote:

Petraeus, who is preparing to testify to Congress next month on the Iraq war, said in an interview that "no one" in the U.S. and Iraqi governments "feels that there has been sufficient progress by any means in the area of national reconciliation," or in the provision of basic public services.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...031303793.html

I guess there's an alternate meaning of "worked" used by warmongers.

Zoe · #7 (**permalink**) 04-01-2008, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lunecat

Prfffft

A prime case of warpped logic there!!!

If the Iraqi forces (as you claim) are deserting in such numbers why would the Iranian backed mobster Sadr quite the fight?

Maliki made a fool of himself. He still only controls the Green zone. Militias are in control of everything else. You have not been paying attention if you think Maliki comes out of this rash move with more power. I cannot imagine what he was thinking.

Sadr did not start this conflict but he certainly did not lose, in any sense.

DuH2 · #8 (**permalink**) 04-01-2008, 08:06 PM

Thats funny since the Iraqi government controls most of the nation.

Do you even know what the Green Zone is?..clearly not.

lunecat · #9 (**permalink**) 04-01-2008, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoe

...
You have not been paying attention if you think Maliki comes out of this rash move with more power.
....

Can't remember me posting such a comment either!!! Maybe you could highlight it for me?

Maliki IS the elected head of the Iraqi State - he already has as much power as he is going to get.

As for attempting to dislodge an illegal army within the Country of which he is the elected leader - good on him!

Andaras · #10 (**permalink**) 04-01-2008, 10:57 PM

lunecat you have a fundamentally naive, generalized and ludicrously stupid view of the matter. Maliki wouldn't be PM today if it wasn't for the support he received from al Sadr. The Mahdi Army is the only organization in Iraq with any grassroots support, Maliki's Dawa party and the SIC largely only exist in the Green Zone. The SIC wants to make southern Iraq a radically decentralized federal state of Shi'ite closely tied to Iran, and al Sadr is largely opposed to this.
The fact is, ALL the major Iraqi groups are pro-Iran and Shi'ite, the only anti-Iran group is Sunni al-qaeda which 'declared war' on Iran last year.

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