Posted on 04/20/2008 11:53:07 AM PDT by skully
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Followers of hardline cleric Muqtada al-Sadr raised the stakes Sunday in the showdown with Iraq's government, refusing to disband their militia as the U.S. military reported an "uptick" of fighting in the Iraqi capital.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, meanwhile, assured visiting Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that he will not back down in his confrontation with Shiite militias, even as mortar shells fired from Shiite areas struck the U.S.-protected Green Zone.
In a sign of that resolve, Iraqi soldiers took control Sunday of the last stronghold of al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia in the southern city of Basra, where an Iraqi offensive last month triggered the current wave of Shiite fighting.
Al-Maliki, a Shiite, has demanded that al-Sadr disband his Mahdi Army, the country's biggest Shiite militia, or his followers will not be allowed to run in provincial elections this fall.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=HOME
It is time to kill al-Sadr.
The Sadr thug brigade is going to continue to whittle down to nothing as they get their clocks cleaned. He’s now been thoroughly discredited and isolated by the other Shite and Iraqi political parties. Sistani has distanced himself as well and said the militia should be down away with once and for all.
So Mookie sits in his little Iranian hole awaiting orders. They will soon toss him to the wind as he will no longer serve any purpose. Not alive anyway.
Word is they will be having him leave Iran. When that happens, he’s done.
It’s been “that time” for a long time now.
Exactly. Cut off the head and the snake will die.
I think it was wrong of the USA to even try to set up some sort of a divided “religious” government.
His death there will blunt charges of Western agents bearing responsibility. I'm certain Mossad can do this. They're much better at doing what must be done than the incompetents at our own CIA.
Kill them all then.
With all due respect, the U.S. did not set it up. The Iraqis held free elections, and chose it. Not the best possible choice, for sure, but their choice.
So are we going to win, or are we going to lose? Why is it taking so long to find out?
Because we decided that carpet bombing everything to ashes was not going to be productive and decided to bring the Iraqi's in on their own future.
AKA: Doin' it the hard way; but possibly...quite possibly the best way.
So, we’re losing?
Democracy in tribal societies does not work like it does here, as the Iraqis have shown us. We’ve got 3 groups—Sunnis, Shi’ites, and Kurds—squabbling on how to write a constitution, and who, for the most part, only vote for a member of their group rather than look at the candidates’ merit. Maybe we should’ve just let them have their monarchy back like they’re used to. The late King Faisal’s closest living relative is Prince Ra’ad bin Zayd. He is the heir to the Iraqi throne.
He should have collected his 72 Helen Thomas lookalikes years ago.
That sounds promising.
“Kill them all then.”
Hear! Hear!
Someone needs to give Al Sadr a large quantity of the Jim Jomes brand of Kool-Aid. End this thing now.
Nah. If history shows anything, it's that long term exposure to American solders and culture will infect (or ruin-depending on your perspective) most societies over a period of time.
I think the die have been cast and Iraq will be a better country for this experience. Gonna be a long time however.
Actually I should correct that last sentence; Sharif Ali bin Hussein is the other living relative of Faisal, but according to the 1943 amendment to the Iraqi constitution, Ra’ad is the successor to the throne.
IRAQ: Shiite vs. Shiite battle mounts ( no mention of Iranian involvement by the MSM?)
AND
IRAQ: Stuck in the middle - The United States has put itself in a dangerous spot --
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Well it's not totally new,....REMEMBER VIETNAM>>>>>?
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