An Iraqi politician has criticised a highly publicised US-led assault, saying it will send a discouraging signal at a time when leaders are seeking a political solution to the country's woes.
It comes right after a revered mosque is boomed by bad guyz trying to set off a civil war. I wouldn't call that untimely, at least not if I was on our side. | Saleh Mutlak said: "This large operation that used airplanes is sending a signal to parliament and Iraqis that the solution is military and not political."
You answer political moves with political moves. Answer gunfire with gunfire. | The offensive comes at a time when Zalmay Khalilzad, the US ambassador to Iraq, has been mediating to narrow differences among Iraqi politicians still struggling to form a government three months after parliamentary polls. The US military said that 50 people had been detained and 30 remained in custody as a result of "Operation Swarmer", which began on Thursday, would last several days.
Snagging bad guyz just exacerbates tensions, y'know. Better to just leave 'em alone... | The Pentagon released video footage to news organisations of soldiers being flown in helicopters to landing zones northeast of Samarra, 100km north of Baghdad, where the bombing of a Shia shrine last month prompted fears of civil war. Message to the local Sunnis of whom Mutlak is a leader. |
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