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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Fighting in Kufa Signals End of Truce |
| 2004-06-03 |
| via WaPo - so you know the routine... EFL Login: TacoPrince@Taconia.com burrito U.S. Troops Kill at Least Seven in Skirmishes With Forces Loyal to Rebel Cleric By Saad Sarhan and Daniel Williams Washington Post Foreign Service Thursday, June 3, 2004 The shaky week-old cease-fire in southern Iraq broke down completely Wednesday with heavy fighting on the streets of Kufa, where U.S. troops pursued Shiite Muslim insurgents, killed at least seven Iraqis and wounded 37 others. After calm on the first day of the truce, almost all the conditions of the deal worked out last Thursday have failed to hold. Fighters from the anti-occupation militia of rebel cleric Moqtada Sadr continue to roam the streets of Kufa, about 90 miles south of Baghdad, as well as the nearby city of Najaf instead of disappearing as promised. Talks between Sadr and mainstream Shiite leaders over charges that he was involved in the murder of a moderate cleric last year have yet to get underway. Nor have negotiations begun on disbanding his militia, the Mahdi Army, and converting it into a political organization. Instead, Iraqi mediators are awaiting Sadr’s response to a new request that his forces abandon mosques and police stations and surrender their weapons within 72 hours. U.S. commanders had responded to Sadr’s promises with a pledge to halt offensive operations and pull their forces into a pair of bases near Kufa and Najaf, except for guards at police stations and government offices. U.S. officials also said that they would continue to patrol the two towns to avoid a "security vacuum" and that soldiers would fire on Sadr’s fighters in self-defense. But almost from the outset, there have been numerous shootouts, especially in Kufa. Two U.S. soldiers were killed during the week. U.S. officials initially attributed the problems to Sadr’s fighters not getting word about the truce, and they characterized the fighting as small in scope. On Wednesday, a military spokesman in Baghdad said flatly, "There never was a cease-fire." Shiite mediators accused the Americans of breaking the truce by attacking two mosques and an industrial area while negotiations for the 72-hour withdrawal were underway. In a letter to the provincial governor in Najaf, Adnan Zurufi, mediators from the Shiite House, a group of politicians that worked out the original deal, wrote: "What is happening now is a violation of the cease-fire agreement and efforts to reach a peaceful solution." The fighting threatens chances of the two-month-old Shiite rebellion ending before the formal transfer of authority to a new Iraqi government June 30. The new government took shape Tuesday, and administration officials characterized its formation as a turning point in the tumultuous 13-month-long occupation of Iraq. ...more... |
| Posted by:.com |
| #4 Love this line: The fighting threatens chances of the two-month-old Shiite rebellion Pardon me, but WHAT Shiite rebellion? Since when does Sadr and his tiny group of idiots represent 15 million Shiites? And if they're all rebelling, how come they're not, like, rebelling. You know, with guns and all?? Typical partisan media BS |
| Posted by: RMcLeod 2004-06-03 3:47:23 PM |
| #3 The operation against Al-Sadr has been brilliant. Almost daily there are reports of a few more tater-tots gone toes up, with no US casualties. It is almost inconcievable that continuing our low-intenstity, pick-a-few-off-every-day campaign will result in the Shia majority getting upset. And it is sending the right message to any other potential rabble-rousers. |
| Posted by: Sludj 2004-06-03 1:09:22 PM |
| #2 the WaPos other, generally negative article on the Shiites (it said basically, we may be beating the Al Mahdi army, but the poor Shiites are still unhappy) included, though it buried, this interesting factoid - almost 1500 Al mahdi fighters have been killed in the last two months. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2004-06-03 9:58:41 AM |
| #1 Anyone seen Sadr lately? He sorta sank beneath our wisdom like a stone. Back in Iran ...? |
| Posted by: doc 2004-06-03 9:51:18 AM |