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| Iraq |
| Negotiating with Sadr in Diwaniyah |
| 2006-10-04 |
| Sadr's Madhi Army the target of Iraqi and Coalition pressure in Diwaniyah Muqtada al-Sadr, the Iranian backed Shiite cleric, has been a thorn in the side of the Coalition and the fledgling Iraqi government. In the spring and late summer of 2004, U.S. forces fought intense battles against Sadr for control over the Shiite South and the holy city of Najaf. While Sadr's militia, the Madhi Army, was militarily defeated, the Coalition failed to politically defeat Sadr, and he has remained a threat to this day. Sadr's political party controls 30 of the 275 seats in Parliament, and runs five ministries. While much of the public's perceptions of the efforts against Sadr are shaped by operations in Sadr City in Baghdad, the Coalition and Iraqi government are chipping away at his power base outside of Baghdad. The series of raids and clashes, often masked as efforts against "criminals," "thugs," "death squads," and "kidnappers," are being conducted against the extreme elements of Sadr and his Mahdi Army. The goal is to remove Sadr from a position of influence, either by force or his surrender, and split his power base. Sadr's lieutenants are being systematically targeted, which will drive him to either fight or withdraw. A window into these operations is available in the city of Diwaniyah. A joint U.S. and Iraqi operation, dubbed Constant Solidarity has been announced at the end of September. The operation is made up of elements of the 8th Iraqi Army Division, supported the soldiers of the Fires Brigade (artillery), 4th Infantry Division. The purpose is to "weed out more than 2,000 terrorists in and around the city of Diwaniyah." Diwaniyah is a Sadr stronghold, the "terrorists" being referred to here are the Madhi Army. To demonstrate the seriousness of the operation, the U.S. has deployed MLRS launchers (Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System) in the region to hit back at the Madhi Army [..] Much more background at the link |
| Posted by:3dc |