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| Iraq-Jordan | |
| US fights Mahdi Army northeast of Baghdad | |
| 2004-05-20 | |
| American soldiers clashed Wednesday with Shiite militiamen in two cities south of the capital, killing at least eight of them, U.S. officials said. Mortars and rockets fell on widely scattered areas of the Iraqi capital. U.S. officials reported no American casualties during engagements in the Shiite holy cities of Karbala and Najaf, but the command said one 1st Infantry Division soldier was killed Tuesday during an ambush near Muqdadiyah northeast of Baghdad. U.S. military officials said the eight Shiite gunmen were killed in Karbala, 50 miles south of here, during scattered clashes between coalition forces and militiamen loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Most of the fighting took place around the Mukhaiyam mosque, which al-Sadr's forces had been using as a base. U.S. F-16 fighter jets flew overhead but did not fire, according to Capt. Noel Gorospe, a spokesman for the 1st Armored Division. A U.S. M1A1 main battle tank was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade late Wednesday but there were no casualties, the military said. In Najaf, about 50 miles south of Karbala, strong explosions could be heard late Wednesday along with the rattle of machine gun fire. Fighters from al-Sadr's al-Mahdi Army were seen on the streets despite a call Tuesday by the premier Shiite leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani, for both the Americans and the militia to vacate the city. Meanwhile, a mortar shell exploded Wednesday about 300 yards from the Baghdad Convention Center, where a court-martial hearing was under way for four U.S. soldiers accused in the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison. There were no casualties and the hearing continued without interruption. One of the four soldiers, Spc. Jeremy C. Sivits, pleaded guilty to four counts and was sentenced to a year in jail, reduction in rank and a bad conduct discharge. Bush told an Iraqi newspaper in an interview published Thursday that America intends to get to the bottom of the scandal over mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners so that the "whole world" will know who was responsible. Bush told the Baghdad daily Azzaman that the torture and sexual humiliation of prisoners "does not reflect the behavior of the United States and the American people." White House officials said Bush gave the interview Tuesday in Washington. Its publication in Arabic was delayed because of time zone differences. It was posted early Thursday on the newspaper's Web site. Meanwhile, a projectile exploded Wednesday near a bridge leading to the Green Zone, igniting a fire. Blasts were also reported in southern Baghdad and near a former Iraqi security agency office. There was no report of casualties. Fighting in Karbala and Najaf has persisted despite demands from Shiite communities in Lebanon and Iran for the Americans to withdraw so as not to harm religious shrines, among the most sacred in Shia Islam.
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| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #7 I oppose Man to Pig combat with the al-Saderites. I prefer Napalm to Pig. Barbecue these animals! |
| Posted by: Dog Bites Trolls 2004-05-20 12:33:16 PM |
| #6 Wouldn't you like to see the look on Khameni's face when he finds out what President Bush has planned for his "October Surprise"? |
| Posted by: Random thoughts 2004-05-20 10:13:19 PM |
| #5 If they were that important to the gunnies, they'd find someplace else to stage their insurrection, wouldn't they? This simple hypocrisy sums up all that is wrong. We are confronted with those that deliberately desecrate their own holiest shrines who then howl with indignation as someone makes a concerted effort to dislodge them. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has nothing to lose at this point. He is faced with both the crumbling of Guardian Council authority at home and increased pressure from abroad (in the form of US presence in Iraq). Little surprise that he is doing all in his power to undermine the liberation of Iraq. America may well need to persist in Iraq if only to obtain the forward base necessary for an offensive against Iran. Their nuclear weapons program is one of the most urgent agenda items for all western nations. True to form, Europe's ostrich-like posture on Iran merely makes it all the more vital that America does not abandon any application of pressure upon the Iranian mullahs. Even if it is only America that perceives it, Iran represents one of the biggest threats to global stability, bar none. One single nuclear exchange in the Middle East or a launch into Europe could stall all global economic progress for some time to come. The prospect of terrorists obtaining nuclear material from the Iranians only magnifies this danger. At some point the gloves may need to come off with Sadr, if only to demonstrate America's determination not to let Shiite religious sensibilities interfere with obtaining actual stability. Iran has willingly contributed to the hostilities in Fallujah, they must now confront the possibility of having knowingly assisted in the ruination of their most holy places of worship. Again, at some point, Iran must have the error of their ways spelled out to them in no uncertain terms. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-05-20 1:26:51 PM |
| #4 [Off-topic or abusive comments deleted] |
| Posted by: Dog Bites Trolls TROLL 2004-05-20 12:33:16 PM |
| #3 I guess Khamenei knows about precipices, since he's standing on the edge of a much bigger one. The problem is, no one in the U.S. government seems to be willing to actively try to push him over the edge of it. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-05-20 10:47:47 AM |
| #2 I guess Khamenei knows about precipices, since he's standing on the edge of a much bigger one. |
| Posted by: virginian 2004-05-20 8:42:27 AM |
| #1 Americans in a Holy Place! An apollogy maybe, a face saving gesture, mea culpa, or how about a kiss of the ringed finger. Yes, thats it, kneel and kiss the Holy Mans finger. Don't laugh, could work. The bended knee may stop the hurling of stones. Ouch, stop that! |
| Posted by: Lucky 2004-05-20 1:24:13 AM |