"Soldiers conducted house-to-house searches, but met no resistance in a district firmly in the hands of the Madhi Army militia led by radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, said Lt. Col. David Oclander."
Now this is the same Muqtada al-Sadr who ran with his tail between his legs to Iran, leaving "his people" to fend for themselves?
"We've just created a few hundred thousand more terrorists out of innocent people who would have loved us if we hadn't started this ill-conceived, illegal war."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6417099.stm
Last Updated: Sunday, 4 March 2007, 13:11 GMT
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Iraq crackdown on Shia stronghold
More US troops are being sent to improve Baghdad's security
An operation involving US-led forces is under way in Baghdad's Shia stronghold of Sadr City, the US military has said.
A spokesman for the military would not confirm or deny reports that hundreds of troops were taking part.
Meanwhile five people were detained in an early-morning raid by UK and Iraqi troops in the southern city of Basra.
The raids came as Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki said he was offering an olive branch to insurgents who accepted the language of reconciliation and dialogue.
Those who did not would fall foul of a security crackdown which would "cover every inch of Iraq", he said.
We present in our hand a green olive branch, and in the other hand we present the law ... Operation Imposing Law started in Baghdad, it will cover every inch of Iraq
Nouri Maliki
Iraqi prime minister
Mr Maliki has said he will reshuffle his cabinet within the next two weeks.
No details have been given, but reports quote unnamed officials as saying he is expected to dismiss all six ministers loyal to the Shia cleric, Moqtada Sadr, who has been criticised by the United States.
Mr Maliki said political consensus could only be achieved in Iraq once the country was stable.
"We do not need to implement security measures except against those who reject the language of reconciliation and dialogue, those who insist on restoring the past," he said.
"We present in our hand a green olive branch, and in the other hand we present the law ... Operation Imposing Law started in Baghdad, it will cover every inch of Iraq."
He did not specify whether insurgents who stopped fighting would be given an amnesty.
Torture claims
Shortly after Mr Maliki's announcement, US forces entered the Sadr City district of Baghdad, as they continued to implement a major new security plan.
The US has repeatedly said that one of the keys to improving security in Iraq is to tackle Shia militias, such as the Mehdi Army, controlled by Mr Sadr.
The Associated Press news agency reported that hundreds of troops were involved in the raid.
US and Iraqi troops conducted separate house-to-house raids in the western corner of the district.
They seized any weapons that were discovered, but have so far met no resistance.
In Basra, five people were held by British and Iraqi forces on suspicion of involvement in roadside bomb attacks against the multinational forces and Iraqi civilians, as well as kidnaps, torture and murder.
As a result of information obtained, Iraqi counter-intelligence forces then raided the National Iraqi Intelligence Agency headquarters, where "further evidence of significant criminal activity such as torture" was found and a number of prisoners released.
The BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad says the agency is not the first to be involved in allegations of torture by Shia militias.
Liz Sly (Chicago Tribune) on C-SPAN by phone from Baghdad now.
In other words, the problem is still there, and they will probably resurface to make trouble sometime in the future on their schedule.
It's no wonder they leisurely went to ground. We gave them plenty of warning and time to get out. Fighting our wars the Arab way is not going to win them for us. Instead, it will lose them for us. This is ominous as it signals we are not serious about killing the enemy, just mollifying him and not making anybody angry.
Political correctness will be the death of us all and will ultimately lose this war.
The Surge is working! The terrorists and their allies are losing.
Pray for W and Our Troops
Snuff Mookie!
Guess it isn't quite firmly in the Madhi Army's hands after all.
The shake and bake continues. And we got many more months to go.
Headline:
TROOP SURGE SHOWS PROGRESS IN IRAQ
Yea right... haha like the MSM will every print anything in support of the President or against the Rats for that matter.
We can't win! It's a quagmire! Get the troops out now! It's all about oil and Haliburton! It's Bush's war! Cheney is the boss! Rove is the architect! Libby is guilty of outting a covert CIA agent! The world hates us! We can't win!
Sincerely,
the Democrats in Washington.
This article came out about an hour ago with an update.
Other than the Sadr faction calling the move "provocative" it looks like the first day went well.
>>"They thanked us with respect and a smile," said Shihab Ahmed, a teacher, noting that the Americans greeted him in Arabic and asked permission before entering his house with a bomb-sniffing dog. "I am happy that such a campaign is done in my neighborhood. It doesn't upset me, as it is aiming to clear the area of weapons."
In a few hours, the operation was over for the day. A checkpoint was dismantled, allowing traffic to move normally. The convoy rumbled away, and shopkeepers returned to business as usual.<<
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/world/4601807.html
...
If Reagan were in office, there would not even BE a Sadr City, only a smoldering crater.
