This part is really good:
“Only a year ago, the ISF had been unable to provide three brigades (some 9,000 men) to help the US-led “surge” restore security in Baghdad. This time, the ISF had no difficulty deploying 15 brigades (30,000 men) for the battle of Basra.
Led by Gen. Mohan al-Freiji, the Iraqi force sent to Basra was the largest that the ISF had put together since its creation five years ago. This was the first time that the ISF was in charge of a major operation from start to finish and was fighting a large, well-armed adversary without US advisers.
During the Basra battles, the ISF did call on British and US forces to provide some firepower, especially via air strikes against enemy positions. But, in another first, the ISF used its own aircraft to transport troops and materiel and relied on its own communication system.
The expected call from the Najaf ayatollahs to stop “Shiite fratricide” failed to materialize. Grand Ayatollah Ali-Muhammad Sistani, the top cleric in Iraq, gave his blessings to the Maliki-launched operation. More broadly, the Shiite uprisings in Baghdad, Karbala, Najaf and other cities that Quds commanders had counted upon didn’t happen. The “Green Zone” wasn’t evacuated in panic under a barrage of rockets and missiles.
After more than a week of fighting, the Iraqis forced the Quds commanders to call for a cease-fire through Sadr. The Iraqi commander agreed - provided that the Quds force directly guaranteed it. To highlight Iran’s role in the episode, he insisted that the Quds force dispatch a senior commander to finalize the accord.
The Iran-backed side lost more than 600 men, with more than 1,000 injured. The ISF lost 88 dead and 122 wounded.
Some analysts suggest this was the first war between new Iraq and the Islamic Republic. If so, the Iraqis won.”
I bet that will be the focus of Congressional hearings in the US congratulating Petraus and the Iranian government for their success/ NOT!
Sounds like the Iranians just had their “Tet Offensive”, though Walter Cronkite didn’t come through for them this time.
Crosslinking :
IRAQ: Ayatollah Sistani on the Mahdi Army: “the law is the only authority in the country”
WOW - this is excellent.
It is very frustrating that you won’t find this reported anywhere. This is a real positive event. I am sure our esteemed politicians in Washington appreciate this success as much as I do.
Thank you for your report. I had not read that before.
The 6oo Sadrists and Iranians will be added into the totals of “innocents murdered by American Occupiers.”