http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/sadr/ en-us Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:07:43 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2365944/posts Iraqi security forces detained an Iranian operative in southern Iraq in the latest operation designed to curb Iran's influence in the war-torn country. Iraqi security forces have detained four Iranian operatives since the beginning of October. On Oct. 1, the US military announced that Iraqi paramilitary police from the National Emergency Response Brigade arrested Khalid Masur Isma’il during a raid in the Shia slum of Sadr City. Isma’il served as "financier and recruiter" for the Hezbollah Brigades... Two other Hezbollah Brigades operatives have been captured in Baghdad this month. On Oct. 3, Iraqi troops arrested a man thought to be... The Long War Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2365944/posts#comment Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:07:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2244182/posts ‘THEY KILL PEOPLE LIKE US,’ SAYS GAY IRAQI May 04, 2009 By Cheryll Simpson BAGHDAD – Widespread violence is down across Baghdad, but not for one minority group. Iraq’s gay population is being targeted by militia groups in a wave of killings that has claimed the lives of up to 25 young men and boys in the past month. "They know I am gay. I don’t know if I am going to be killed, this is up to God," said Moyad, a 38-year-old Baghdad resident who would not give his last name out of fear for his safety. Visibly frightened,... NBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2244182/posts#comment Tue, 5 May 2009 00:13:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2181018/posts WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE Awesomely Awesome: US Soldier Calls Out Mahdi Sympathizers in Iraqi Police You thought Christian Bale could toss the f-bomb with aplomb and threaten to kick someone's ass? That was just a cameraman. This cat threatens to kick Mahdi army's asses personally. He uses the Paul Anka style of leadership to awesome effect. A lot of f-bomb here, but worth it. Newsworthy, so you can get away with it, I think. pajama media http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2181018/posts#comment Sun, 8 Feb 2009 18:19:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2163673/posts Israel faces a Faustian bargain in Gaza: destroy Hamas utterly -- which appears impossible for all practical purposes -- or reach a cease fire that inevitably allows Hamas to re-arm and fight another day. Either way, Israel seems to be fighting a lost cause. There may, however, be another approach that succeeded under similarly unfavorable circumstances: the "Gold Wall" of Sadr City, Iraq. As Nathan Hodge observed in a recent article for Danger Room, there are striking similarities between the current dilemma facing Israel and the one confronting the United States in Baghdad in March, 2008. For months, Moqtada al... American Thinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2163673/posts#comment Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:28:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2149938/posts Sadr City, 15 Dec. (AKI) - Thousands of Iraqis on Monday demanded the release of Muntazer al-Zaydi, the journalist who threw his shoes at US President George W. Bush. The protests took place in the Shia Baghdad neighbourhood of Sadr City and the demonstrators marched towards the headquarters of the Iraqi press syndicate, in al-Waziriya, said Iraqi news agency Voices of Iraq. The protesters, who were reportedly made up of followers of radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, also burned American flags. Meanwhile, a statement calling for the release of al-Zaydi was issued by the Cairo-based satellite news channel al-Boghdadiya, where... AKI http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2149938/posts#comment Wed, 17 Dec 2008 02:06:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2143328/posts The followers of Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr once were powerful enough to do battle against the U.S. military, play kingmaker in choosing Iraq's prime minister and declare themselves the true defenders of the country's Shiite majority. But parliament's approval last week of a security agreement that requires U.S. forces to leave Iraq by the end of 2011, a date the Sadrists consider far too distant, has underscored the movement's waning influence. Sadr's loyalists are on the defensive, struggling to remain politically relevant as the U.S. role in Iraq diminishes and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki gains stature. The day after... MSNBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2143328/posts#comment Fri, 5 Dec 2008 12:02:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2134753/posts Police in northern Baghdad found a mass grave Tuesday that contained the remains of 15 people, an Interior Ministry official said. The grave was in a house under construction in the Ur neighborhood, which used to be controlled by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army militia. Authorities were attempting to determine who the victims were and when they died. In other incidents, two bombs in a car exploded in Nineveh province's Sinjar area Tuesday. A civilian was killed and 11 were wounded, authorities in Mosul said. A roadside bomb exploded in front of the western Baghdad house of an Electricity... CNN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2134753/posts#comment Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:05:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2088689/posts Sadr Movement: We Will Give A Two Year Deadline For Agreement With America...If It (The Agreement) Has Benefits (Other: Coalition) [¨Asharq Al Awsat Newspaper] (23 SEP) Summary: Analysts state: the next step for Shiite leader Muqtada Al Sadr needs to be ‘decisive’...if we wants to remain (significant) in Iraq’s political field, especially (now) since: his Mahdi Army militia is being forced to stay off the Iraqi streets, and his Movement’s political influence has dwindled. Meanwhile (however), his (Sadr’s) spokesman - Sheikh Salah Al Ubaidi has emphasized: the (Sadr) Movement’s influence is growing ‘day by day’. Since the US’ invasion of... Asharq Al Aswat Newspaper http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2088689/posts#comment Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:23:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2086500/posts Gen. Keane wants to make sure people understand why the surge worked. "I have a theory" about the unexpectedly fast turnaround, he says. "Whether they be Sunni, Shia or Kurd, anyone who was being touched by that war after four years was fed up with it. And I think once a solution was being provided, once they saw the Americans were truly willing to take risks and die to protect their women and children and their way of life, they decided one, to protect the Americans, and two, to turn in the enemies that were around them who were intimidating... wsj http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2086500/posts#comment Sat, 20 Sep 2008 13:47:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071605/posts Dozens of Shiite radicals scrambled on Friday to sign blood oaths to continue their fight against US forces in Iraq despite an order from their leader Moqtada al-Sadr for them to lay down their arms. Children as young as 10 were among those seen cutting their thumbs with scalpels and putting a bloodied fingerprint to a document circulated by members of the Sadr movement in the cleric's eastern Baghdad bastion of Sadr City. All vowed to fight on, despite orders by Sadr on Thursday to his 60,000-strong Mahdi Army militia to suspend their armed operations indefinitely. The order followed two... AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071605/posts#comment Sun, 31 Aug 2008 03:16:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061648/posts A controversy has broken out in London over Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the honor of Britain's military, and Iraq. It's a reminder of the road America could have taken before the surge made victory possible -- and a warning to politicians who are slaves to public opinion in war. The story starts with this spring's military offensive by the Iraqi government to oust the Shiite militias from the southern city of Basra. The British were given coalition control in the south starting in 2003. Yet when the Iraqi military ran into trouble at the start of their operation this year,... Wall St Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061648/posts#comment Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:12:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058876/posts Shi'ite militia leader Muqtada al-Sadr stepped back into Iraq's political fray Friday with an offer that (if genuine) Washington would be hard-pressed to refuse: Set a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, and the Mahdi Army will begin to disband. "The main reason for the armed resistance is the American military presence," said Sadr emissary Salah al-Ubaidi, who spoke to reporters in Najaf Friday. "If the American military begins to withdrawal, there will be no need for these armed groups." Sadr in the past has vowed to expand the humanitarian work of his movement but promised to maintain... time http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058876/posts#comment Sat, 9 Aug 2008 01:12:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2057653/posts Per a news release from yesterday, Muqtada al-Sadr plans to disarm the Mahdi militia, and change it to a social services organization that focuses on education, religion and social justice... all without weaponry. Recently, however, the group has been hit by a largely successful Iraqi military crackdown against militia members operating as criminal gangs. At the same time, Mr. Sadr's popular support is dwindling: Residents who once viewed the Mahdi Army as champions of the poor became alienated by what they saw as its thuggish behavior. A new brochure, obtained by The Wall Street Journal and confirmed by Mr. Sadr's... Flopping Aces http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2057653/posts#comment Wed, 6 Aug 2008 22:03:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2057358/posts Report: Sadr to disarm Mahdi Army Stars and Stripes Mideast edition, Wednesday, August 6, 2008 Anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr intends to disarm his once-dominant Mahdi Army militia and remake it as a social-services organization, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. The transformation would represent a significant turnaround for a group that has been one of the most destabilizing anti-American forces in Iraq. A new brochure, obtained by The Wall Street Journal and confirmed by al-Sadr’s chief spokesman, Sheik Salah al-Obeidi, states that the Mahdi Army will now be guided by Shiite spirituality instead of anti-American militancy. The group will focus... Stars & Stries http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2057358/posts#comment Wed, 6 Aug 2008 13:24:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2056488/posts A secret deal between Britain and the notorious al-Mahdi militia prevented British Forces from coming to the aid of their US and Iraqi allies for nearly a week during the battle for Basra this year, The Times has learnt. Four thousand British troops – including elements of the SAS and an entire mechanised brigade – watched from the sidelines for six days because of an “accommodation” with the Iranian-backed group, according to American and Iraqi officers who took part in the assault. US Marines and soldiers had to be rushed in to fill the void, fighting bitter street battles and... timesonline http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2056488/posts#comment Mon, 4 Aug 2008 23:01:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2056572/posts BAGHDAD -- Anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr -- long a thorn in the side of the U.S. military and Iraqi government -- intends to disarm his once-feared Mahdi Army militia and remake it as a social-services organization. The transformation would represent a significant turnabout for a group that, as recently as earlier this year, was seen as one of the most destabilizing anti-American forces in Iraq. For much of the past several years, the Mahdi Army, headed by Mr. Sadr, a Shiite cleric, controlled sizable chunks of Baghdad and other major cities. Its brand of pro-Shiite activism had the side effect... wsj http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2056572/posts#comment Tue, 5 Aug 2008 01:27:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2052502/posts A Soldier with Company A, 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division-Baghdad, pulls security in a building as his unit searches for improvised rocket-assisted mortars and materials in the Ur neighborhood of Baghdad July 21, 2008. Photo by US Army Sergeant Philip Klein. Iraqi and US forces are maintaining the pressure against the Mahdi Army in central and southern Iraq. Over the past 24 hours, the US military announced the capture of three senior Special Groups operatives and uncovered a major cache in Baghdad. Iraqi troops detained 68 Mahdi Army... The Long War Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2052502/posts#comment Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:56:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2052009/posts The U.S. military’s top-ranking officer encountered one of Iraq’s most dangerous areas July 7 and saw first-hand the improvements Iraqi and U.S. forces have made during recent months. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, received a glimpse of the success that has seen attack levels in Iraq fall to their lowest in four years - a 90 percent decline in attacks during the past year alone. The progress in security has allowed Coalition forces to focus more on other issues, military officials in Baghdad said. Less than 60 days ago, the streets of Jamilla Market... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2052009/posts#comment Sun, 27 Jul 2008 11:37:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051920/posts BAGHDAD — The militia that was once the biggest defender of poor Shiites in Iraq, the Mahdi Army, has been profoundly weakened in a number of neighborhoods across Baghdad, in an important, if tentative, milestone for stability in Iraq. It is a remarkable change from years past, when the militia, led by the anti-American cleric Moktada al-Sadr, controlled a broad swath of Baghdad, including local governments and police forces. But its use of extortion and violence began alienating much of the Shiite population to the point that many quietly supported American military sweeps against the group. Prime Minister Nuri Kamal... nytimes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051920/posts#comment Sun, 27 Jul 2008 02:16:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048796/posts Iraqi and US troops continue to press the offensive against the Iranian-backed Mahdi Army during a series of raids throughout Iraq. Since July 18, US and Iraqi forces have killed six Mahdi Army fighters and captured 18 during operations in central Iraq. Scores more have been captured, including senior leaders, weapons smugglers, financiers, trainers, and cell leaders. The raids have been driven by intelligence, much of it gleaned from captive Mahdi Army fighters, according to information contained in Multinational Forces Iraq press releases. Captive Mahdi Army leaders and cell members are providing US and Iraqi forces information on leaders and... The Long War Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048796/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:02:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045489/posts 14 July 2008The war continues to abate in Iraq. Violence is still present, but, of course, Iraq was a relatively violent place long before Coalition forces moved in. I would go so far as to say that barring any major and unexpected developments (like an Israeli air strike on Iran and the retaliations that would follow), a fair-minded person could say with reasonable certainty that the war has ended. A new and better nation is growing legs. What's left is messy politics that likely will be punctuated by low-level violence and the occasional spectacular attack. Yet, the will of the... Michael Yon Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045489/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:33:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043669/posts BAGHDAD — Iraq experienced the lowest number of acts of violence in more than four years last week, a spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq said July 9. Security progress in Iraq is unmistakable, Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner said. Civilian deaths around the country were at their lowest point in three years, the general told reporters, adding that the reduction in violence is allowing the Iraqi government and the coalition to put in place projects that improve the quality of life in the country and create jobs for Iraqis. The general said the security improvements are due in large part... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043669/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:32:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043149/posts WASHINGTON, July 9, 2008 – Iraq experienced the lowest number of acts of violence in more than four years last week, a spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq said in Baghdad today. Video Security progress in Iraq is unmistakable, Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner said. Civilian deaths around the country were at their lowest point in three years, the general told reporters, adding that the reduction in violence is allowing the Iraqi government and the coalition to put in place projects that improve the quality of life in the country and create jobs for Iraqis. The general said the security... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043149/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:01:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042382/posts Click to view images from Taji. Photos by Bill Murray. TAJI, IRAQ: There are few pictures of a US Army Tactical Operations Centers, and once inside you realize why. Everything within the walls of a TOC in Iraq -- and there are dozens at the company, battalion and brigade levels -- is more or less classified. Screen after screen of live Unmanned Aerial Vehicle camera footage, high-definition video from floating balloons tethered high above each forward-operating base, high-powered FM radios connected with ground troops, three tiers of desks with sergeants and captains using internal message and email systems to... The Long War Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042382/posts#comment Tue, 8 Jul 2008 14:32:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041762/posts Clashes broke out in the Sadr City district in northeastern Baghdad after Iraqi forces detained a senior Sadrist leader, an Iraqi news outlet reported. Iraqi soldiers and police cordoned several neighborhoods in the Mahdi Army stronghold to contain the fighting that occurred after security forces detained Abbas Abdul Aal, who is a "senior Sadrist leader," Voices of Iraq reported. Aal's nephew was also detailed. "Security forces closed all of the city's outlets and prevented the movement of traffic and pedestrians," an eyewitness told the Iraqi newspaper. The move in Sadr comes one day after Iraqi soldiers closed the Sadrist office... The Long War Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041762/posts#comment Mon, 7 Jul 2008 12:25:16 GMT