Under the supervision of American forces, workers began building a wall to partition the Sadr City area of Baghdad on Thursday.
Posted on 04/18/2008 9:35:05 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
BAGHDAD — Trying to stem the infiltration of militia fighters, American forces have begun to build a massive concrete wall that will partition Sadr City, the densely populated Shiite neighborhood in the Iraqi capital.
Under the supervision of American forces, workers began building a wall to partition the Sadr City area of Baghdad on Thursday.
The construction, which began Tuesday night, is intended to turn the southern quarter of Sadr City near the international Green Zone into a protected enclave, secured by Iraqi and American forces, where the Iraqi government can undertake reconstruction efforts.
“You can’t really repair anything that is broken until you establish security,” said Lt. Col. Dan Barnett, commander of the First Squadron, Second Stryker Cavalry Regiment. “A wall that isolates those who would continue to attack the Iraqi Army and coalition forces can create security conditions that they can go in and rebuild.”
On Wednesday night, huge cranes slowly lifted heavy concrete blocks into place under a moonless sky. The barriers were implanted on Al Quds Street, a major thoroughfare that separates the Tharwa and Jamilla districts to the south from the heart of Sadr City to the north.
The avenue was quiet except for the whirring sound of the cranes and thud of the barriers as they touched the ground. Contractors operated the cranes, but American soldiers transported the barriers on trucks and directed their placement.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
The team building the barrier was protected by M-1 tanks, Stryker vehicles and Apache attack helicopters. As the workers labored in silence, there was a burst of fire as an M-1 tank blasted its main gun at a small group of fighters to the west. An Apache helicopter fired a Hellfire missile at a militia team equipped with rocket-propelled grenades, again interrupting the night with a thunderous boom. A cloud of dark smoke was visible in the distance through the Stryker’s night-vision system.
Concrete barriers have been employed in other areas of Baghdad. As the barriers were being erected in other neighborhoods, some residents said they feared being isolated. But walls have often proved to be an effective tool in blunting insurgent attacks.
fyi
Iraqi troops, Sadrists in Basra standoff ( Iraqi Government wants it's buildings back)
Good. No thread hijack, but we also could use one on our border. As we see in Iraq and Israel, walls work.
Iraqi government: "We will continue until we secure Sadr City"
************************EXCERPT INTRO*********************************
The Long War Journal ^ | 4/13/2008 | Bill Roggio
The Iraqi government has committed to wresting Sadr City from the control of Shia militias, an Iraqi government spokesman and a US military spokesman said in a press briefing today in Baghdad.
"We will continue until we secure Sadr City. We will not come out, we will not give up until the people of Sadr City have a normal life," Ali al Dabbagh, the spokesman for the government of Iraq, told AFP. "(Security forces) will do what they have to do to secure the area. I can't tell you how many days or how many months but they will not come out until they have secured Sadr City."
The US military has stated it will support the Iraqi government in its plan to secure Sadr City.
I would prefer that the US military expand parking lots in Sadr City.
Nice .... how about building these around a border to our south here?
Building a wall. Hmmmm. We’ve been told those things don’t work.
Exacatly. The American taxpayer is forced to build walls to protect Muslims in Iraq and its sons and daughters fight to accomplish it while the Administration and Congress refuse to build walls to keep out the encroaching Aztlan Empire from Mexico.
This Administration is pathetic and so are the creatures in Congress of both political parties - for the most part.
Ya mean the fence Chertoff is trying to build, and the border towns are resisting like mad? That fence?
That's an excuse for not building it. All they have to do is declare - eminent domain - problem solved, fence built. Our government doesn't want the fence built...border towns resisting is their out for not building it.
But maybe “pressure” isn't the right term. That connotes a measure of reluctance on the part of the Administration.
Thanks for straightening that out for me. Say hello to Jorge el Segundo for me when you see him, o.k.?
Good idea, lets erect one around San Francisco, NY and LA.
This Administration is pathetic and so are the creatures in Congress of both political parties - for the most part.
It makes me sick - especially the Bush and Republican apologists that are somehow delighted to vote for the lesser of two evils and rationalize it by spending their time ripping on the greater of two evils.
A wall!!!! OMG!!!! Time for the ACLU to file suit!!!!! American fascists occupiers are know establishing an apartheid state in Iraq!!!! They are creating a Shiite Warsaw Ghetto!!! Racism !!!! Fascism!!!! Sexism !!!!
Just a sample of what is probably going on at MoveOn.jerks and DU.schmucks.
Everyone knows as soon as a 20’ wall goes up, the sales of 21 foot ladders will start. This is a waste of money and where are the environmental impact studies? A virtual fence seems to be a better and more comprehensive approach. Maybe if we spent some of this money to try to understand why these people are coming across we could do more to reduce the need...
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Do i really have to put a sarcasm tag on this?
I share your frustration. I really, really do.
But I don’t think it is just as simple as “eminent domain”. I’m betting it is some impediment somewhere between local resistance and DC lobbying that gets in the way. Either way, it’s damn stupid to leave the border open.
I just think that the local resistance is more than just for show.
Thanks Ernest.
U.S. Embassy in Baghdad Declared Ready, With Nudge by Rockets
Washington Post | 4/18/08 | Glenn Kessler
Posted on 04/18/2008 4:37:23 AM PDT by Libloather
U.S. Ehttp://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2003372/posts
It is damn stupid, and dangerous.
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