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| Iraq |
| Basra Boomer Shows Shiites Safer With Sadr |
| 2007-09-25 |
| I've been waiting for this. Remember, Mookie said the south would be safer with the Brits gone - Sadr said that Basra would become a safer place after the British military left. Rantburg article A suicide car bomber struck the police headquarters in Basra on Tuesday, killing at least three officers and wounding 20 people amid fears over the southern city's deteriorating security situation. Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, 340 miles southeast of Baghdad, had been relatively peaceful for much of the war but has seen tensions rise as Shiite militias battle for control of the oil-rich area. Maj. Gen. Abdul-Jalil Khalaf, Basra's police chief, said one of the suicide bomber's legs had been found tied to the steering wheel, and he blamed al-Qaida in Iraq for the attack. "It seems that al-Qaida wants to make use of the fragile situation in the city caused by the tension among the parties and the city's officials," he said. "We cannot say that there is a security vacuum, but the security measures are less strong in the day than the night. After this attack, we will increase the police patrols in the day." Security concerns also rose after the British military last month pulled back its troops out of the city to a nearby airport to allow Iraqi security forces to take over — a move being closely watched by the U.S. military as it anticipates the eventual withdrawal of American forces in other areas of Iraq. The violence to the north and south of the capital reflects the political and security obstacles that have slowed the progress of the Shiite-led government as it tries to assert control and stability so U.S.-led troops can go home. |
| Posted by:Bobby |
| #4 Al-Queer vs. Mookie. Truly an epic battle is about to unfold. Let them decimate each other then we'll move in and "take their oil". Karl Rove and Tricky Dick Cheney have GOT to be behind a caper like this. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2007-09-25 17:14 |
| #3 The Shiites definitely have some things to work out among themselves. Remember that during the Mehdi revolt, they tortured and murdered a lot of the faction of the Shiites who are now in power; and those memories are still fresh. We will probably just insure that the payback is one sided, and done with reasonable calmness. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-09-25 16:41 |
| #2 I sure would hate for ol' snagglepuss to be right, Sherry, but I like the perspective of Yon! |
| Posted by: Bobby 2007-09-25 16:12 |
| #1 Michael Yon Is Headed To Basra Posted by: Hugh Hewitt at 9:19 AM When conditions improved dramatically in al-Anbar, defeatists in the U.S, talked up the alleged collapse of Basra into chaos. I asked Mahor General Simmons, Deputy Commander General of Multinational Forces for Support, about the reports. He replied: They are not accurate, and that is a fabrication at best. This was a planned turnover of the Palace and the PJCC to Iraqi control, to the Iraqi legitimate government forces. It was done to standard with, and to well-trained, well-equipped Iraqi Security Forces. There were some peaceful demonstrations that were celebratory in nature, but at no time was any Coalition forces threatened, and the local Iraqi officials under General Mohan, kept a good handle on the situation in Basra. We'll soon have excellent reporting from Basra as Michael Yon is headed that way. I spoke with Yon yesterday. HH: Are you headed back into Iraq tonight? MY: Yes. IÂ’m in Kuwait right now, should be in Iraq probably in the next ten hours or so, and IÂ’ll stay for another long haul. First, IÂ’ll go with the British down in Basra, stay with them for a month. Then IÂ’ll go with the United States Air Force, and then IÂ’m going to head back with an Infantry unit. HH: Now tell me, IÂ’m glad youÂ’re going to Basra, because weÂ’ve heard so many stories out of Basra about whether or not itÂ’s all gone to hell in a hand basket after the withdrawal of the British back from a forward deployment. What are you hearing prior to your deployment there? MY: I donÂ’t think those reports are accurate. You know, I was just over in London, and also, IÂ’ve been with the British before in Basra earlier this year, and the reality, itÂ’s probably time for them to draw down their forces. I think theyÂ’re doing the prudent thing. TheyÂ’ve got a huge commitment in Afghanistan, and their army is a lot smaller than ours is. And the problems in Basra are not like the problems in other places. I donÂ’t see it as aÂ…itÂ’s not like a crack in the egg. In fact, I hate to make predictions too far in advance, but I would not doubt that we would see a very precipitous drop in violence over the next few months throughout Iraq as more and more people come to the table. You know, out in Diyala Province, 20 of the 25 major tribes just signed an agreement to work with the Coalition and the Iraqi Army, so thatÂ’s tremendous. I mean, we see people in Nineveh Province starting to rise up against al Qaeda. Everybody is coming to the realization, many people are coming to the realization that itÂ’s time for a change. You know, we made some mistakes early on, and we learned from them. Our own military has just morphed in the last couple of years, and they work very well with most of the Iraqis now, and the Iraqis have learned how to work with us. Hugh, I just wouldnÂ’t doubt it to see that in the future, Iraq is actually going to be a good ally of the United States. |
| Posted by: Sherry 2007-09-25 14:02 |