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Iraq
Raids on Mahdi Army, Amara flares
2006-10-25
Sadr continues his double game and U.S. and Iraq forces dance with Sadr in central and southern Iraq

U.S. forces continue to chip away at Muqtada al-Sadr's power base in Iraq. The Kuwaiti News Agency reports on two small raids against the offices of Sadr's Mahdi Army in the cities of Hillah and Diwaniyah. In Hillah, there was a gunfight between U.S. and Mahdi Army fighters. No injuries were reported and no arrests were made. In Diwaniyah, a joint U.S. and Iraqi force "broke into the house of Mahdi Army local leader in Diwaniya Province but failed to arrest him."

This is a continuation of the plan to erode Sadr's power base within the Mahdi Army, and force Sadr to openly denounce the Mahdi Army or confront the Iraqi government. As Sadr's most capable and dangerous lieutenants are killed or captured, his power and standing within the organization comes into question. Iraqi and Coalition operations against Sadr in in Diwaniyah is a microcosm of this plan. The real question is does the Maliki government have the will to folow through to completion.
Posted by:GolfBravoUSMC

#16  Hmmm ... it is October 25, 2006 and we're still having problems with Tatartoad and his Mahdi Army.

IT’S DÉJÀ VU ALL OVER AGAIN
Posted by: Lancasters Over Dresden   2006-10-25 23:29  

#15  I've always been kind of partial to 125mm smooth-bore, myself. Right between the eyes...


Jeebus, OP! We need some DNA left, it's pretty obvious there's no dental x-rays for ID comparison
Posted by: Frank G   2006-10-25 17:58  

#14  All funerals for terrorist leadership must be considered targets of opportunity. That Taleban clusterfuck in Afghanistan should be the last one we ever miss.
Posted by: Zenster   2006-10-25 16:22  

#13  I've always been kind of partial to 125mm smooth-bore, myself.

LOL! Looks like OP wins!

In the spirit of one-upsmanship, of course I immediately thought about using a MOAB. Which got me to thinking that perhaps if he were to have a funeral, it might be justifiable to drop one right in the middle of it . . . . Practically speaking, who would be able to justifiably complain?
Posted by: gorb   2006-10-25 14:43  

#12  7.62 should suffice

I've always been kind of partial to 125mm smooth-bore, myself. Right between the eyes...
Posted by: Old Patriot   2006-10-25 13:33  

#11  Maybe, but that's a lot of bone to drill through

7.62 armor piercing should work just fine.

Maliki is under serious pressure from our side me thinks. Particularly with respect to the Iranian involvement (eg Sadr). The pressure is definitely increasing on Tater unt his tots.
Posted by: remoteman   2006-10-25 13:13  

#10  7.62 should suffice

Maybe, but that's a lot of bone to drill through. :-)
Posted by: gorb   2006-10-25 12:16  

#9  The proper end to this is an anonymous 7.62mm third eye for Sadr. Normally, I would recommend a 12.7mm third eye, but plausible deniability is nice and 7.62 should suffice.
Posted by: RWV   2006-10-25 09:15  

#8  This is a continuation of the plan to erode Sadr's power base within the Mahdi Army, and force Sadr to openly denounce the Mahdi Army or confront the Iraqi government. As Sadr's most capable and dangerous lieutenants are killed or captured, his power and standing within the organization comes into question.

This is the best news since they cleaned out Fallujah. I've seen curbside three card Molly pro-&-shill teams that play a better double game than Muqtada Sadr. Let's hope that this time the story ends with a very much sadder Sadr (as in deader). Time to Muq out the stalls.
Posted by: Zenster   2006-10-25 04:55  

#7  :-) They're Arabs, heh. They never fail to disappoint.
Posted by: .com   2006-10-25 04:27  

#6  I thought it was pretty good, .com, and probably not far at all from the truth.
Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy   2006-10-25 04:22  

#5  Yup, agree on every point, AC. I guess my little attempt at dialog sucks more than I thought, lol.
Posted by: .com   2006-10-25 04:21  

#4  Tater, and his army of retards and bandits, the Tater Tots, are the source of the massive violence in the Baghdad area.
They are Iranian tools and Malaki shields them. This appears to be changing, since US and Iraqi troops have had a couple of confrontations with the Tots recently.
Maybe Malaki has had the law laid down: Hang Saddam and fry the Tater and we might think about leaving. Not one day sooner.
Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy   2006-10-25 04:15  

#3  Muqy: What did I do, Nouri? Was it the stale cannolis?
Maliki: I'm under a lot of pressure here. You look like a valve.
Muqy: But we're pals! I've thrown my support, my block, behind you!
Maliki: That's old news. What have you done for me lately?
Muqy: But you can't prefer those sleazy Badr Boys over me!
Maliki: Don't knock sleaze. Besides, it's about power, now.
Muqy: But I'm wide open here - Sistani won't take my calls!
Maliki: Hey, dood, somebody's gotta go down - the illusion of governing.
Muqy: But didn't that wild weekend in Najaf mean anything to you?
Malika: Yeah, sure. You always did have the best dope and...
Muqy: I can get more! My IRGC controller has a sweet deal with Karzai...
Maliki: Nah. Hey, nothing personal, y'know. It's just business.
Posted by: .com   2006-10-25 04:05  

#2  IMO, he has to be taken out or the powder keg will always be there. Take him out by brute force, be willing to follow up with a few troublemakers, and the rest will seethe but step into line.
Posted by: gorb   2006-10-25 03:13  

#1  His "double game" is old enough to have a long grey beard in that part of the world. I seriously doubt he's fooling anyone.

Can he be taken down without blowing the whole powder keg is the real question.
Posted by: mojo   2006-10-25 02:40  

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