http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/mookie/ en-us Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:40:41 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037292/posts Seems like Moqtada al-Sadr, the anti-American Iraqi Shiite cleric hiding in Iran, has decided to become Iraq’s version of Benedict Arnold: The Mehdi Army of Moqtada Sadr is evolving into a clandestine movement following Iraqi military operations targeting the group, intelligence suggests.The military wing of the Sadrist Movement, the political party loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr, is “turning itself into a secret armed organization,” an Iraqi intelligence official told the Gulf News on condition of anonymity.Iraqi intelligence reports suggest the group’s numbers have dwindled from around 50,000 to as few as 150 in the past few years.Intelligence officials credit... Strata Sphere http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037292/posts#comment Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:40:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031503/posts Muqtada al Sadr. Muqtada al Sadr has ordered the Sadrist political movement to boycott the upcoming provincial elections. Sadr's order comes one day after his order to disband the Mahdi Army as a fighting force and the creations of a small, armed wing to attack Coalition forces exclusively. Sadrist aides claim Sadr rejects the election process and fears being associated with the occupation. "Sayyid Muqtada does not believe in elections or in the coming provincial governments as long as the occupation forces are here," Salah al Obaidi, a senior aide to Sadr, told The Washington Post. "We don't want... The Long War Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031503/posts#comment Sun, 15 Jun 2008 19:10:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2013873/posts Soldiers from Company A, 64th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division set concrete barriers in place in the surroundings of the southern portion of the Sadr City district of Baghdad May 3. (US Army photo/Specialist Joseph Rivera Rebolledo) The battle for Sadr City continues as US and Iraqi forces continue to erect the concrete security barrier on Qods Street, the main thoroughfare that divides the southern third of Sadr City from the northern portion. US Special Operations Forces teams have entered the fray, and the specialized teams are fighting inside the Mahdi Army bastion for... The Long War Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2013873/posts#comment Sat, 10 May 2008 02:53:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2013193/posts Iraqi soldiers have begun evacuating families from portions of Sadr City, a sign that a large offensive will start shortly against the Mahdi Army militia that have long controlled the sector of Baghdad. Two stadiums have been secured for sheltering the evacuees as the government of Nouri al-Maliki attempts to break Moqtada al-Sadr’s last stronghold and end mortar attacks on the Green Zone. Maliki also wants to end Iran’s influence in Iraq, which caused Iran to cut off security talks with Maliki and the US: Hot Air http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2013193/posts#comment Thu, 8 May 2008 19:24:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2006924/posts When the Sadr-Maliki story first broke during the initial push into Basra I noted something was distinctly missing from the news about Maliki’s failed efforts and Sadr’s grand victory - there was no dancing in the streets in response to the news stories? There were no cheers for Sadr, no celebrations by the Iraqi people. If this was the Muslim Street rising up to throw off the occupiers from the West - where were the throngs of people taking to the streets? It struck me as very odd that the only spontaneous cheer to rise up from the initial operations... Strata Sphere http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2006924/posts#comment Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:40:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2004946/posts An Iraqi soldier with the 1st Iraqi Army examines one of more than 160 mortars found during Operation Charge of the Knights in Basra April 19. Some of the markings on the weapons indicate a manufacturing date in 2007. U.S. Army photo. BASRA — The Iraqi Army discovered a large weapons and munitions cache in a house located in the Al Hyyaniyah area of Basra April 19. Soldiers from the 1st Iraqi Army discovered the cache during the search phase of Operation Charge of the Knights. The cache consisted of a large number of weaponry with Iranian markings. The cache... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2004946/posts#comment Mon, 21 Apr 2008 23:22:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2004120/posts BAGHDAD — Iraqi soldiers took control of the last bastions of the cleric Moktada al-Sadr’s militia in Basra on Saturday, and Iran’s ambassador to Baghdad strongly endorsed the Iraqi government’s monthlong military operation against the fighters. By Saturday evening, Basra was calm, but only after air and artillery strikes by American and British forces cleared the way for Iraqi troops to move into the Hayaniya district and other remaining Mahdi Army militia strongholds and begin house-to house searches, Iraqi officials said. Iraqi troops were meeting with little resistance, said Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf, the spokesman for the Iraqi Interior Ministry... nyt http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2004120/posts#comment Sat, 19 Apr 2008 22:45:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2004115/posts BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Saturday threatened an "open war" against the Iraqi government unless it halted a crackdown by Iraqi and U.S. security forces on his followers. The specter of a full-scale uprising by Sadr sharply raises the stakes in his confrontation with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who has threatened to ban the anti-American cleric's movement from political life unless he disbands his militia. A rebellion by Sadr's Mehdi Army militia -- which has tens of thousands of fighters -- could abruptly end a period of lower violence at a time when U.S. forces are starting... abc news http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2004115/posts#comment Sat, 19 Apr 2008 22:42:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2000702/posts THE toll from fierce fighting in Baghdad’s Sadr City has risen to at least 200 dead and more than 1,000 injured, according to doctors in the besieged suburb. US and Iraqi troops killed at least 13 gunmen in heavy fighting there yesterday against the Mahdi Army loyal to the radical Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. The reports from Sadr City hospitals suggest far higher casualty figures than previously reported, although they cannot be independently verified. Dr Qassem Mudalal, the director of the Imam Ali hospital, said: “There are 230 killed, I can confirm, in the hospitals of Sadr City. I’ve... Times Online (UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2000702/posts#comment Sat, 12 Apr 2008 23:49:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1999976/posts Just scrolled on bottom of screen that Al Sadr is Dead ??? Anybody confirm !! ABC TV http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1999976/posts#comment Fri, 11 Apr 2008 12:06:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1999673/posts 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 and said he never consulted with Sadr on disbanding the Mahdi Army. Instead, the decision to disband the Mahdi Army is Sadr’s to make. Sistani spoke through Jalal el Din al Saghier, a senior leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, a rival political party to the... Long War Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1999673/posts#comment Thu, 10 Apr 2008 19:48:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1994215/posts Iraqi Special Forces, advised by Coalition troops, take on the Madhi Army in Sadr City. This is the one of the most intense firefights ever caught on film, and it explains why al Sadr has already begged for a truce. The overweight and/or underage dopes of the Madhi Army are no match for the increasingly lethal Iraqi forces. Prime Minister Maliki has the upper hand now. Listen for the GAU minigun ripping away at 50 rounds per second. YouTube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1994215/posts#comment Mon, 31 Mar 2008 02:36:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1994038/posts 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... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1994038/posts#comment Sun, 30 Mar 2008 16:46:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993967/posts Baghdad, Iraq (AHN) - In a surprise move Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr on Sunday ordered his fighters off the streets of Basra and other cities in Iraq. Sadr said in a statement that his movement wanted the Iraqi people to stop the bloodshed and for Iraq to maintain its independence and stability. He had previously defied the Iraqi government's deadline to turn weapons in for cash. According to reports, it is unclear if all of Sadr's followers will comply with his order. According to reports, the United States has used ground troops in Basra. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993967/posts#comment Sun, 30 Mar 2008 13:30:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993948/posts BREAKING NEWS: Al-Sadr calls for an end to Shiite revolt in south Iraq. More soon ... MSNBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993948/posts#comment Sun, 30 Mar 2008 12:36:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1994013/posts Muqtada al-Sadr apparently has had enough; he's offered a "truce" if the Iraqi government will stop attacking his men. I'm not close enough to the situation to know whether it would be better to accept the truce or continue disabling Sadr's militia, but the proposal seems like a clear indication that things haven't gone as Sadr intended. This episode might prove to be, as President Bush suggested, a defining moment in Iraq's post-war history. The main knock on Maliki's government has been that it is a Shia instrument that has sometimes been infiltrated by radical Shia elements. Sunnis have often... Powerline http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1994013/posts#comment Sun, 30 Mar 2008 15:15:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993874/posts 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 134 Mahdi Army fighters were killed, 81 were wounded, 98 were captured, and 30 surrendered during the past 36 hours. Since the... The Long War Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993874/posts#comment Sun, 30 Mar 2008 04:03:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993482/posts US forces stepped deeper into the Iraqi government's fight to cripple Shiite militias. It has launched air strikes in the southern city of Basra and firing a Hellfire missile in the main Shiite stronghold in Baghdad. . The American support occurred Friday as Iraqi troops struggled against strong resistance in Basra and retaliation elsewhere in Shiite areas - including more salvos of rockets or mortars into the US-protected Green Zone in Baghdad. It was the first time American jets have been called to attack militia positions since Iraqi ground forces launched an operation Tuesday to clear Basra of the armed... News Today http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993482/posts#comment Sat, 29 Mar 2008 05:39:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993125/posts BAGHDAD, March 28 (UPI) -- U.S. military troops fought militia in Sadr City, the huge Shiite stronghold in Baghdad, while Iraqi forces held the area's outskirts, officials said. The clashes Thursday indicate U.S. forces were drawn more deeply into a broad offensive Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki undertook in the southern city of Basra earlier against rouge militias, The Washington Post reported Friday. The Mehdi Army of cleric Moqtada Sadr, a Shiite rival of Maliki, seems to have absorbed the brunt of the attacks in Basra, and fighting has spread to other southern cities and parts of Baghdad, the Post... UPI http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993125/posts#comment Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:17:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1991996/posts Amid heavy clashes between government forces and Shiite Muslim militants in Baghdad and the southern port city of Basra, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki issued an ultimatum Wednesday demanding that the militias surrender their weapons within 72 hours. Radical cleric Muqtada al Sadr , whose Mahdi Army militia is a prime target of the government offensive, responded by demanding that Maliki leave Basra. U.S. forces joined Iraqi troops in Baghdad to fight Mahdi Army militants, and police said that at least 20 people had been killed in the Sadr City neighborhood, a stronghold for Sadr's backers. The city's fortified... McClatchy/Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1991996/posts#comment Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:38:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1981171/posts Shi'ite cleric and leader Muqtada Al-Sadr was secretly transferred a few days ago from Iraq to Iran for hospitalization as he was comatose. It was reported that his illness resulted from food poisoning. Al-Sadr is being treated by Iranian specialists, as well as by Russian doctors brought in to help the Iranian medical staff treat him. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1981171/posts#comment Thu, 6 Mar 2008 07:43:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1981176/posts A leading figure in the movement led by Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said the group would not pardon anyone if their leader is harmed. “In the event Sadr is harmed, Iraqi will them swim in a lake of blood,” warned Sheikh Sadeq al-Hasnawi. Hasnawi is one of the top officials leading the movement in Sadr’s absence. He said the cleric was currently in Iran “studying and mediating” in the religious city of Qom which is the Iranian equivalent of Iraq’s holy city of Najaf where Shiite clerics are educated and trained. Hasnawi made the remarks in response to unconfirmed reports... Azzaman http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1981176/posts#comment Thu, 6 Mar 2008 08:41:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1969535/posts <p>A deal has been reached with kidnappers for the release of two CBS journalists, radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's office in Basra said Wednesday.</p> http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1969535/posts#comment Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:44:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1949901/posts WASHINGTON, Jan. 7, 2008 – Violence has dropped in southern Iraq, but Iranian-influenced ”special groups” remain a concern, the commander of the U.S. brigade that provides theater security said today. Army Col. Charles Flynn spoke to Pentagon reporters via teleconference from his headquarters at Coalition Operating Base Adder at Talil Air Base near Nasiriyah, Iraq. The 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division has had the mission since July. The brigade ensures that the ground lines of communication and supply lines to multinational forces remain open. “We're not landowners per se, but our area of operations spans... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1949901/posts#comment Mon, 7 Jan 2008 23:45:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1928012/posts A leader of the Sadrist movement, or Iraqis loyal to Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr, died of wounds sustained during his arrest by police forces in Diwaniya last month, a media source from al-Sadr's office in the province said on Saturday. "On Saturday morning, Sadrist leader Abbas al-Gharabawi died in Diwaniya's General Hospital of wounds sustained during his arrest by emergency police forces in Afak city last month," Abu Zeinab al-Karaawi told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). Voice of Iraq via Iraq Update http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1928012/posts#comment Mon, 19 Nov 2007 20:12:49 GMT