Green Energy
One of the contingencies involved in the Bush Aministrations decision to commit more troops to Iraq was that Iranian Prime Minister Maliki must lay down the gauntlet on the Mahdi army. I'm not too sure if this is what we were hoping for or not:
BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraq's prime minister has told Mahdi Army militiamen they must surrender their arms or face an all-out assault by U.S.-backed Iraqi forces, senior Iraqi officials said Wednesday, revealing a pledge Washington wanted to hear as American and Iraqi troops prepared a fresh operation to end the bloody sectarian war gripping Baghdad.
The blunt message was particularly significant given that Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi leader, previously had blocked several U.S. attempts to crack down on the military wing of radical anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, now one of the most powerful players in Iraq.
"Prime Minister al-Maliki has told everyone that there will be no escape from attack. The government has told the Sadrists (the political movement that supports the Mahdi Army), if we want to build a state we have no other choice but to attack armed groups," a senior Shiite legislator and close al-Maliki adviser said.
While the militia has been noticeably less active since the Dec. 30 hanging of Saddam Hussein, there was no assurance the threatened offensive would intimidate the fighters who have only grown stronger in numbers, arms and sophistication since they battled U.S. forces to a standstill in the Shiite holy city of Najaf and in Baghdad's Sadr City in 2004.
I have to wonder at the way Maliki chose to word this warning. Because it is a translation, we don't really know quite what he said, but it seems to me there is a bit of bullshit going on here.
Is this an "American onslaught"? Or, is it an onslaught of "American-backed" Iraqi troops?
Either way, it seems to me the message is, "This is America's idea, not mine."
What do you guys think?
Also, note that last paragraph. Let us be honest, the Mahdi army did not fight American troops to a standstill. We fucking backed down because they were holed up in a Mosque, and we're too politically correct to hit them in their place of "worship."
That was one of the biggest mistakes of the war.
- Mahdi Army Surrenders - Authorizes Iraqi Government To Disarm Fighters
From the Stratas-Sphere: It seems the Mahdi Army in Sadr City has surrendered - completely: Followers of rebel cleric Muqtada al Sadr agreed late Friday to allow Iraqi security forces to enter all of Baghdad’s Sadr City and to arrest anyone found with...
- It's Gettyburg - Maliki Needs To Crush Utterly The Mahdi Army Now
Now that Al Qaeda in Iraq has been obliterated, it is essential for the growth and security of Iraq, and for it's national identity against Iran, that the Mahdi army be destroyed. War is politics by other means, and the results of the...
- Al-sadr Tells Maliki: "don't Meet Bush" - Meeting Is Cancelled
And, I think the White House is spinning it now. You be the judge. This morning the report came out that al-Sadr had threatened to pull his members out of Maliki's Parliamentary coalition (via Washington Post): AMMAN (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister...
- Hearing The Mahdi Bray
“Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki made his first official visit to Iran today and repotedly asked Iran to prevent al Qaeda from slipping across the border to carry out attacks. Iran’s president in turn promised to help Iraq ‘establish security’,...
- So You Think The Increased Usa Presence In Baghdad Is To Decrease Violence? Not According To The Dia
DIA warns of Iran-backed coup in Iraq WASHINGTON — The Bush administration has increased U.S. troop levels in Baghdad to help protect the new government of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki. U.S. officials said the addition of at least 12,000 U.S. troops...
Green Energy
Maliki To Mahdi Army: Disarm Or Face American Onslaught
One of the contingencies involved in the Bush Aministrations decision to commit more troops to Iraq was that Iranian Prime Minister Maliki must lay down the gauntlet on the Mahdi army. I'm not too sure if this is what we were hoping for or not:
BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraq's prime minister has told Mahdi Army militiamen they must surrender their arms or face an all-out assault by U.S.-backed Iraqi forces, senior Iraqi officials said Wednesday, revealing a pledge Washington wanted to hear as American and Iraqi troops prepared a fresh operation to end the bloody sectarian war gripping Baghdad.
The blunt message was particularly significant given that Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi leader, previously had blocked several U.S. attempts to crack down on the military wing of radical anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, now one of the most powerful players in Iraq.
"Prime Minister al-Maliki has told everyone that there will be no escape from attack. The government has told the Sadrists (the political movement that supports the Mahdi Army), if we want to build a state we have no other choice but to attack armed groups," a senior Shiite legislator and close al-Maliki adviser said.
While the militia has been noticeably less active since the Dec. 30 hanging of Saddam Hussein, there was no assurance the threatened offensive would intimidate the fighters who have only grown stronger in numbers, arms and sophistication since they battled U.S. forces to a standstill in the Shiite holy city of Najaf and in Baghdad's Sadr City in 2004.
I have to wonder at the way Maliki chose to word this warning. Because it is a translation, we don't really know quite what he said, but it seems to me there is a bit of bullshit going on here.
Is this an "American onslaught"? Or, is it an onslaught of "American-backed" Iraqi troops?
Either way, it seems to me the message is, "This is America's idea, not mine."
What do you guys think?
Also, note that last paragraph. Let us be honest, the Mahdi army did not fight American troops to a standstill. We fucking backed down because they were holed up in a Mosque, and we're too politically correct to hit them in their place of "worship."
That was one of the biggest mistakes of the war.
- Mahdi Army Surrenders - Authorizes Iraqi Government To Disarm Fighters
From the Stratas-Sphere: It seems the Mahdi Army in Sadr City has surrendered - completely: Followers of rebel cleric Muqtada al Sadr agreed late Friday to allow Iraqi security forces to enter all of Baghdad’s Sadr City and to arrest anyone found with...
- It's Gettyburg - Maliki Needs To Crush Utterly The Mahdi Army Now
Now that Al Qaeda in Iraq has been obliterated, it is essential for the growth and security of Iraq, and for it's national identity against Iran, that the Mahdi army be destroyed. War is politics by other means, and the results of the...
- Al-sadr Tells Maliki: "don't Meet Bush" - Meeting Is Cancelled
And, I think the White House is spinning it now. You be the judge. This morning the report came out that al-Sadr had threatened to pull his members out of Maliki's Parliamentary coalition (via Washington Post): AMMAN (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister...
- Hearing The Mahdi Bray
“Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki made his first official visit to Iran today and repotedly asked Iran to prevent al Qaeda from slipping across the border to carry out attacks. Iran’s president in turn promised to help Iraq ‘establish security’,...
- So You Think The Increased Usa Presence In Baghdad Is To Decrease Violence? Not According To The Dia
DIA warns of Iran-backed coup in Iraq WASHINGTON — The Bush administration has increased U.S. troop levels in Baghdad to help protect the new government of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki. U.S. officials said the addition of at least 12,000 U.S. troops...