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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Commander: Fight With Al-Sadr Not Over |
| 2004-09-03 |
| By JIM KRANE, Associated Press Writer The fight with renegade Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is not over and the U.S. military must retake his stronghold in Baghdad's Sadr City slum, a top U.S. commander said Thursday. Maj. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, commander of the Army's 1st Cavalry Division, said action is necessary before the volatile cleric has a chance to rebuild his Mahdi militia, which was devastated in recent fighting. "He's decided the best thing for him to do is to go underground and regroup," Chiarelli told The Associated Press. "We're not going to allow that to happen." In many respects, this is good news in that by continuing his resistance al-Sadr is not integrating with Iraq's political structure. Far better that we manage to cap this dirtbag in some dustup than he becomes a driving political force for any Iraqi theocracy. The Mahdi Army hasn't launched a significant attack on U.S. troops in two days, Chiarelli said. The rebel leader has not made a public appearance since the remnants of his militia departed Najaf's Imam Ali Shrine after a peace agreement last week. U.S. military officials believe thousands of al-Sadr's inexperienced fighters were killed in two bouts of battles in Shiite cities in south-central Iraq, as well as in streets of Sadr City in east Baghdad, a district named after the cleric's father. That fighting began in April and flared again last month. But militiamen remain heavily armed and in control of the northern half of Sadr City, a densely populated district of small alleys filled with booby traps and hidden bombs, he said. |
| Posted by:Zenster |
| #7 Salam made a trip through Sadr-ville on the 31 st. I am waiting for somebody of Arab persuation to claim that the Americans are violating the principles of hudna by refusing to let our enemy reconstitute and reload. |
| Posted by: Anonymous4828 2004-09-03 2:50:56 AM |
| #6 gromky, while Sadr himself is no towering pillar of statesmanship, he still represents one of the main thrusts for Iranian-style domination in Iraq. Rest assured that Sistani, too, is a significant proponent of theocracy, but he seems more willing to play within the established guidelines. Sadr's willingness to incite violence and continually disrupt any progress towards some degree of normalcy is a more significant issue. Getting this maggot down to room temperature will go a long way towards bringing law and order to Iraq. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-09-03 2:05:29 AM |
| #5 Keep in mind, this is all a sideshow. Sadr isn't that important, it's just all the shooting that gets everyone's attention. |
| Posted by: gromky 2004-09-03 1:42:37 AM |
| #4 "emerged with his militia intact. " Intact? lighter by several thousand dead/wounded, plus all the heavy weaponry they had at Najaf. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2004-09-03 1:26:00 AM |
| #3 I caught a small glimpse of some bomb sight video on Fox news today. Anyone know where it can be found. It was a bunch of bad guys being taken out running down the street at night. I am not sure of the location or date. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-09-03 1:19:57 AM |
| #2 Great post Zen! And the beat goes on. I hope the Gi's can put an end to the pricks fantasy. Bring on another wannabe. |
| Posted by: Lucky 2004-09-03 1:06:43 AM |
| #1 Of course it's not over. al-Sadr still breathes. |
| Posted by: Chris W. 2004-09-03 12:29:06 AM |