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| Iraq |
| Next up for 172nd: dealing with Sadr City |
| 2006-09-11 |
| U.S. troops begin patrolling in Shiite militia stronghold By Anita Powell, Stars and Stripes Mideast edition, Monday, September 11, 2006 BAGHDAD — The American military’s quest to clean up sectarian violence in Baghdad took its first, very tentative steps into Baghdad’s most infamous neighborhood Sunday morning. Troops from the Fort Wainwright, Alaska-based 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team visited Sadr City, the teeming Shiite slum famous for its densely packed population and as the headquarters for radical Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr. Sadr is the leader of a Shiite militia, known as Jeish al-Mahdi, that is said to be responsible for many of Baghdad’s sectarian killings. Lt. Col. Al Kelly, commander of 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, said Sadr City has been high on his priority list since the unit was sent into Baghdad to participate in the joint American-Iraqi cleanup operation dubbed Operation Together Forward. “When I first got here, I was like, ‘What are we waiting for?’” he said. “Let’s go.” The battalion also has cleared several contentious neighborhoods, including the western suburbs of Shula and Ghazaliya, and the contentious neighborhoods of Adhamiya and Rusafa, since the operation began in August. Despite claims by American military officials that the operation has significantly reduced sectarian violence in Baghdad, officials with the Iraqi Health Ministry reported 1,500 violent deaths in August, roughly the same as in July, according to The Associated Press. While Kelly said he views Sadr City, in northeast Baghdad, as just another neighborhood, he realizes the strategic importance of the area and the risks involved. “They believe we’re going in to attack,” he said. “I have no doubt about that.” Sunday morning, Kelly visited the local police station and assured police chief Gen. Hassan Hamoud that he didn’t plan to employ the same tactics in Sadr City as in other neighborhoods. For example, American soldiers will do joint patrols with local Iraqi police and not, as in other neighborhoods, with the Iraqi army. He also said house-to-house searches may not be on the agenda. “I don’t think we’re treading more lightly,” he said of the plan. “I think it’s easily perceived that way. But we know Sadr City is a critical piece of what’s going on right now.” Hassan — who lays claim to being the lone Sunni in his 1,200-man police force — said he felt the fate of Sadr City would have wide-ranging implications. “The weight of Iraq is all on Sadr City,” he said in Arabic, through an interpreter. “This area has its own significance. The provinces down south are all linked to Sadr City. The sheiks there are all dependent on Sadr City.” The militia, he said, is considered a quasi-governmental entity in the neighborhood. He said militia members help police at checkpoints, clean up the streets, and operate schools and hospitals. He said they do not openly carry weapons, a claim supported by American military police training teams who work in the area. He said he felt a large number of troops — as many as 7,000, by his estimate — would be necessary to rid the area of its problematic elements. Even so, he said, “You will not be able to finish Jeish al-Mahdi. It’s just like the Baathists; we’re still finding them.” And he warned Kelly not to expect a warm welcome from residents. “These people have no fear of death,” he said. |
| Posted by:Sherry |
| #11 The whole lot of those islamo-cockroaches are not worth a hangnail on the sorriest marine or soldier. Bingo, 'mouse. When will our government finally realize this? |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-09-11 23:41 |
| #10 Mac and Zen...Our administration is too caught up in Murtha-itis and the November elections to ever entertain the correct course of action. There are millions of innocents in Iraq. Unfortunately there are 1000s of bad guys...and the bad guys have the same impact there as they do in Compton, Bed-Stuy, and other gang-infested places in the US. The answer is like Zen says: Cordon off the rathole. Give the innocents 72 hours to leave, and annihilate the vacated area with massive airpower. The whole lot of those islamo-cockroaches are not worth a hangnail on the sorriest marine or soldier. |
| Posted by: anymouse 2006-09-11 22:46 |
| #9 Hama rules, guys, Hama rules. The way you break the back of this crap and keep it broken is the way Hafez Assad took care of the Muzzy Bros in Hama. It took 20000 dead but the Muzzy Bros in Syria have never lifted a hand since. That's what it takes and anyone who thinks differently is deluding themselves. That's why the sooner we get out of dealing with Iraqis the better off we'll be because there's no possibility of us taking that kind of decisive action. We're too hamstrung by our internal enemies. |
| Posted by: mac 2006-09-11 17:30 |
| #8 Cordon off the entire district's perimeter. Evacuate all women and children. Detain and confine any males of fighting age who attempt to leave. Burn the area to the ground and shoot anything that tries to run out. We do this just a few times and Sadr's militia will stop fighting us. I know this is dreaming, right now. At some point in the future, it will be these sort of tactics or using nuclear weapons. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-09-11 16:46 |
| #7 ...reported 1,500 violent deaths in August, roughly the same as in July, according to The Associated Press. Now just a minute. A few days ago it was 3,500 killed in July, and the worst ever since the fall of the Roman Empire. So, AP - is August much better than July, or were you lying about July? |
| Posted by: Bobby 2006-09-11 16:31 |
| #6 The True Believers must be identified and eliminated. They're all either True Believers, or True Believer Supporters. Cordon the place and burn it down. Shoot anything that tries to escape the flames. A couple of applications of this tactic in each Islamic Hot Zone, and most of the problems with Islam would vanish overnight. The overall death toll would probably be lower as well. Oh well, guess we'll have to do it the hard way. |
| Posted by: Texas Redneck 2006-09-11 15:43 |
| #5 It is true...they (the True Believers) have no fear of death. That is the exact reason we are wasting money and lives trying to reason and "win their hearts and minds." The True Believers must be identified and eliminated. |
| Posted by: anymouse 2006-09-11 15:20 |
| #4 I hope we have some way of identifying these guys or they'll just melt away to fight another day. Yeah, we may catch some, but not enough to efficiently stop the breeding process. I have no idea what a solution would look like, but this is what I think. I hope I'm missing something! :-) |
| Posted by: gorb 2006-09-11 14:32 |
| #3 Well, I can dream, can't I? |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2006-09-11 13:51 |
| #2 You and I both know we don't have the cajones to do what needs to be done. I know you were a using a little hyperbole, but the administration is too nice, and we care too much to take care of business. When it comes to islamofascism, you have eliminate the fighters and the supporters. |
| Posted by: anymouse 2006-09-11 13:49 |
| #1 I say we cordon off the area and burn it to the ground. Then hit it with a MOAB. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2006-09-11 11:58 |