Posted on 03/30/2008 9:46:53 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
NAJAF, Iraq, March 30 (Reuters) - Followers of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr will not hand over their weapons as part of a move to end a week of fighting in Iraq, a top Sadr aide said.
The aide, Hazem al-Araji, also said that Sadr's followers had received a guarantee from the government that it would end "random arrests" of Sadr followers.
"The weapons of the resistance will not be delivered to the Iraqi government," he told journalists at Sadr's office in the holy city of Najaf after distributing a statement from Sadr calling on followers to stop fighting.
Sadr's statement also called for the government to halt arrests of his followers and implement an amnesty law to free prisoners.
"We confirm that there were guarantees taken from the Iraqi government to fulfill all the points in this statement. Thus, no more random arrests," he said.
The Iraqi government launched a crackdown on Sadr followers in the southern city of Basra last week. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered them to surrender and has offered cash in return for heavy and medium weapons handed over by April 8.
(Reporting by Khaled Farhan; writing by Peter Graff; editing by Ross Colvin)
I think he is not really done yet,...just reloading...
Agreed. He’s getting his army killed and wants a breather- besides- some of his demands are absurd on their face.
Agreed. Just waiting for arms and fighter replacements from Iran to arrive.
Should each condition get a headline of it’s own? ‘Stop arresting my soldiers!’
I have it on very good authority that Mookie (or whoever it is calling the shots) was about to get a big can of whoopass opened on his thugs and he knew it and backed down.
I think we should do it anyway.
How many more times is he going to surrender?
If I were calling the shots, he wouldn't get another opportunity to surrender. Three strikes and you're OUT.
Give the firepower and support the Iraqi army has been given, and the effectiveness they've demonstrated against al Queda they should have made short work of Mookie's followers. They haven't nor will they because the will to do it does not exist. That's a problem General Petraeus and the surge cannot solve. It's a problem that will haunt the GOP and McCain into November.
Good....let them die NOW, with weapons in hand.
Isn’t that the objective of Jihad?
I thought these ^%^*&^%*&^ pursued and desired death?
Good. Just kill them when they get on the streets, in the alleys or on the roofs:
When your Islamofascist serial killers are being killed at a rate of 1-2% in a few days. You had better call a halt or in a month, there might not be too many mad dog followers.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993975/posts
US: 16 killed in Basra airstrikes (AC 130 RAINS DEATH ON MOOKIE’S MEN)
ap ^ | 3/2/30/2008 | KIM GAMEL
Posted on 03/30/2008 6:54:06 AM PDT by milwguy
BAGHDAD - A U.S. warplane strafed snipers in the southern city of Basra, killing at least 16 suspected militants after Iraqi troops came under heavy fire, the American military said
Iraqi police earlier claimed eight civilians, including two women and a child, had been killed in a predawn airstrike in the Hananiyah neighborhood, a known Shiite militia stronghold. But Maj. Brad Leighton, a U.S. military spokesman, said U.S. and Iraqi special operations forces had identified snipers on several roofs before the strike was ordered.
An AC-130 gunship then opened fire on enemy positions on three roofs.
“Initial reports indicate 16 criminal fighters were killed,” he said in an e-mail response to a query by The Associated Press.
,...just reloading...
“No handover of arms”
But he wants the fighting to stop? Only one answer here.
Keep killing them until it’s really over. These people can’t be for real.
Whatever happened to “Unconditional Surrender”? Surrender and turn over your weapons or die. End of story.
It’s not that complicated.
I agree with you and I doubt there is the resolve to actually finish him off.
We should have killed that fat f*** long ago when we had the chance.
D Day would have been reported as a failure along with every other European operation right up until VE day and then it would have been reported that our side really didn't WIN but that the German people just had enough, deposed of Hitler and his henchman and welcomed the Russians and Americans with open arms.
"Media: AFP
Byline: N/A
Date: 30 March 2008
WASHINGTON, March 30, 2008 (AFP) - CIA director Michael Hayden said Sunday he had no prior knowledge of the Iraqi government's crackdown on Shiite militiamen in Basra and implied other top US officials were also in the dark.
General Hayden said the assault on the southern city had proved to be "very, very difficult," but stressed the importance of Iraq's leaders taking decisive action on their own.
Asked if he was informed ahead of the operation, he told NBC television:
"In terms of being pre-briefed or having, you know, the normal planning process in which you build up to this days or weeks ahead of time? No, no, I was not."
Pressed further, the Central Intelligence Agency chief said: "No more so than Dave Petraeus or Ambassador (Ryan) Crocker."
He was speaking just days before Petraeus, the general in charge of US forces in Iraq, and Crocker, the US ambassador to Baghdad, present their latest report on the situation in Iraq to the US Congress on April 8 and 9.
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki launched an assault on Shiite militiamen in neighborhoods of Basra controlled by the Mahdi Army, Iraq's most powerful Shiite militia, on Tuesday, sparking six days of fighting across the country.
"I think the real telling moment, the real crossover point in all this, is the political decision to take action," Hayden said.
"A lot of people in this country have criticized the Iraqis for not stepping up, for not taking advantage of the breathing space that's been created by, frankly, coalition military activities.
"Here's the case of an Iraqi leader stepping up."
Mahdi Army leader Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his fighters off Iraq's streets on Sunday, in a move the government said would help end the fierce clashes that have killed hundreds across the country.
US warplanes had carried out air strikes in the city on Friday and Saturday in which several people were killed, and US special forces were engaged on the ground, Iraqi and US officials said.
Hayden said that Iraqi forces still required US support, particularly in combat power, and said this situation was not going to change overnight.
"This is going to be a gradual slope as Iraqis, again, build this competence in terms of their combat power and apply it in a more even-handed way," he said. Asked if it could take years, the general replied: "I think so."
Questioned about last year's "surge" of US troops into Iraq to counter the escalating violence, the CIA chief said it had "changed the equation... it allowed some space for the Iraqis to step up, and they've begun to do that."
Hayden said the military activity in Basra was "inevitable" given the lack of control the central government in Baghdad had over the city, Iraq's second largest, and was a key part of Iraq becoming a democratic state."
And we STILL kicked ass.
Very interesting....
I’m not sure that Sadr has much “control” over these guys anyway. He can influence them, get them riled up, but there is not the kind of discipline that an organization like Hezbollah has.
See allegra’s update at #20...
"Here's the case of an Iraqi leader stepping up."
That is really the salient point here. The Iraqis have been doing a good job fighting. Now, however, we see they can plan and execute a complicated operation spread out over several cities. Good job by all involved.
That seems to me ....to be al-Sadr’s plan....
they need to get the Iranian controlled special groups disarmed..
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They need to get them *dead*.
Excellent :
And we STILL kicked ass.
Many good signs here!
I still think this is just a 7th inning stretch, though..
Senator (Harry Reid) Urges Sadr to 'Not Give Up Hope'
***************EXCERPT************
JOHN SEMMENS: Semi-News -- A Satirical Look at Recent News
March 22, 2008
Moqtada al-Sadr — the lunatic Islamic fanatic that Newsweek called “The Most Dangerous Man in Iraq” in 2006 — has unilaterally extended the ceasefire he decreed for his Mahdi Army in the summer of 2007. “To be frank, we were getting our heads handed to us by the infidel occupiers,” Sadr lamented. “I see no alternative if we are to avoid being wiped out.”
Sadr’s attempt to intimidate Iraqis into accepting his vision for an Islamic theocratic state under his leadership was not faring well. Even his fellow Shi’a Muslims rejected his message. When the U.S “surge” provided an alternate source of protection from al-Qaeda and Sunni insurgents, the Shi’ites no longer needed the Mahdis for protection.
This turn of events has caused consternation for U.S. Democrats. In a bid to rescue the situation, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) wrote to Sadr urging him to “not give up hope.” “We are doing our best to end the Bush Administration’s reign of terror in your country,” Reid’s letter said. “We have high hopes of replacing him with a person having greater sympathy for your plight. If you can only hang on until 2009, things should be looking up.”
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. What do you think has been happening over the past several days? Hundreds of Shia Madhi fighters killed, most at the hands of the Shia majority ISF.
Coalition has been providing mostly air support and advisors, and what's wrong with that?
No Hand of Arms Maghiists = No Stopping the Pursuit and your Extermination!
Glad to have the opportunity to correct your misperception....
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/03/mahdi_army_taking_si.php
With the fifth day of fighting in Baghdad, Basrah and the South completed, the Mahdi Army has suffered major losses over the past 36 hours. The Mahdi Army has not faired well over the past five days of fighting, losing an estimated two percent of its combat power, using the best case estimate for the size of the militia.
A look at the open source press reports from the US and Iraqi military and the established newspapers indicates 145 Mahdi Army fighters were killed, 81 were wounded, 98 were captured, and 30 surrendered during the past 36 hours.
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Glad to see you’re a conservative Democrat. Use this information to better inform those who share your viewpoint.
You may be accurate or not. To see another picture check out orbat.com. No leftwinger though he has opposed the Iraq involvement, the guy has sources and knowledge and doesn’t make crazy claims like the lefties.
In This Shiite Battle, a Marked Shift From the Past
*************************EXCERPT*********************
News Analysis
By SABRINA TAVERNISE and SOLOMON MOORE
The most intense fighting in Iraq in months had the ring of the familiar. Another battle against followers of a rebel Shiite cleric. Fighting in the south that spread to other cities.
But as the week came to a close, it was clear that the current fighting in the southern city of Basra and the clashes in Baghdad had some fundamental differences from the battles in Najaf and Baghdad that plagued the American military in 2004.
For starters, the Shiite rebels are fighting mainly Iraqi soldiers, rather than Americans. Their leader, Moktada al-Sadr, is not defending against attacks from a redoubt inside the country’s most sacred shrine, but is issuing edicts with a tarnished reputation from an undisclosed location, possibly outside the country. And Iraq’s prime minister, a Shiite whom Americans had all but despaired would ever act against militias of his own sect, is taking them on fiercely.
The differences represent a shift in the war, whose early years were punctuated by uprisings against Americans by a vast, devoted group of Mr. Sadr’s followers, who were largely respected by Shiites. As their tactics veered into protection rackets, oil smuggling and other scams, Mr. Sadr’s followers too began to resemble mafia toughs more than religious warriors, splintering and forming their own gangs and networks, many beyond Mr. Sadr’s direct control.
Even some Sadrists seemed to understand the toll their methods were taking on their popular appeal, which has become increasingly important as provincial elections draw near.
“We are interested in civic issues more than military issues,” Said Harith al-Ethani, a Sadr representative in Basra, said in February. “We are helping with blood donations; we are providing volunteers for the hospitals; we are handing out gas and food rations,” he continued, sounding more like an old political machine operative than a religious insurgent.
But while Mr. Ethani was offering up the Mahdi Army, Mr. Sadr’s militia, as a kind of Iraqi Salvation Army, Basra residents were groaning under daily assassinations and kidnappings and a wholesale policy of intimidation. By the time the fighting started in Basra on Tuesday, that discontent had spread to a large swath of Iraqi society — including some of its largely Shiite army and police. The shift opened up a space for Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki to move against the Mahdi Army. And while it is far from clear that his effort will succeed — reports of soldier and police surrenders abound — the mere fact that he is trying is new.
scanned your source and saw two falsities right off the (or)bat. (e.g. British are standing on the sidelines)
Also saw that he sourced the New York Times. Greeeeaaatt! I believe everything printed there.
Read Roggio at the link I gave you. He has reported from the field in Iraq and has two or three sources there now.
See #37.
See orbat.com for a conflicting viewpoint. Since I’m not there i can’t say which is true. I don’t doubt the KIAs among Mookie’s army, but the numbers are small compared to the possible numbers aligned with Mookie. And I still believe that Malicki will NEVER do what is necessary to permanently remove Mookie and his thugs from the scene. Nothing he has done indicates otherwise. 40 years ago I knew, whatever his inadequacies, that Nguyen Thieu wanted to destroy the VC. The same cannot be said about Malicki.
I took a look at the Orbat website and thought it still represented a view from the left....
35 killed, 113 wounded in Nassiriya clashes
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Thi-Qar - Voices of Iraq
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Sunday , 30 /03 /2008 Time 9:10:34 |
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Thi-Qar, Mar 30, (VOI) – Casualties in the clashes that took place in Thi-Qar province during the past four days reached 35 deaths and 113 others wounded, a media spokesman for the Thi-Qar police said on Sunday.
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BWWHAHAHAHAHaaaaaa!!!
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Sadr orders followers to cease fire
Arbil - Voices of Iraq
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Sunday , 30 /03 /2008 Time 9:10:34 |
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| Arbil, Mar 30, (VOI) – Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr gave instructions to his supporters on Sunday to cease fire, according to the semi-official al-Iraqiya TV station.
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7 al-Qaeda fighters killed in Mosul
Ninewa - Voices of Iraq
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Sunday , 30 /03 /2008 Time 9:10:34 |
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Ninewa, Mar 30, (VOI) – Seven al-Qaeda in Iraq fighters were killed on Sunday in clashes with police forces west of Mosul city, hours after two policemen were killed in the same area, said the official spokesperson of the Ninewa operations command.
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I say we keep pounding the crap out of 'em.
I say you’re right.
Maliki can “consider” the DEMANDS while we keep pounding.
1. You appear not to appreciate the tactical advantage that defending territory that you have daily knowledge to the degree the Mahdi militias have provides. You also are ignoring what we have seen again and again in Iraq, that tactical proficiency and killing power are reduced by combat in urban terrain where innocent civilians are in the cross fire. Why would it be different for the Iraqi Army than it has been for us?
2. In fighting insurgencies the goal is not destruction of the opposing force, it is The winning-over of the occupied territory’s population. If that can be achieved, then the rebellion will be deprived of its supplies, shelter, and, more importantly, its moral legitimacy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-insurgency
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