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| Iraq |
| Battles in Iraq's Basra as government cracks down |
| 2008-03-27 |
| Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered Shi'ite militiamen to surrender on Wednesday as his forces staged a crackdown on followers of powerful cleric Moqtada al-Sadr that threatened to wreck a ceasefire. Sadr, whose truce last year was praised by U.S. forces for curbing violence, called for talks to end the crackdown on his followers, the biggest military operation that Iraqi forces have undertaken without U.S. or British combat units. More than 80 people have been killed and hundreds wounded in the fighting, centred on the southern oil hub of Basra and spreading to Shi'ite parts of Baghdad where Sadr's followers hold sway and the towns of Hilla, Kut and Diwaniya in the south. Maliki, in Basra to oversee the campaign, said fighters would be spared if they surrendered within 72 hours. The assault is a chance for his government to prove it can impose its will and allow American forces to withdraw. But it also runs a risk of unleashing more violence after a year that saw security in Iraq improve dramatically. "We have been living for the last hours in hell. We have spent most of the time hiding under the staircase," said Basra resident Faris Hayder, 28. "We haven't seen anything like this since the foreign troops arrived in 2003." Battles which began on Tuesday in Basra resumed with heavy gunfire and explosions. A health official said 40 people had been killed and 200 wounded in the city by Wednesday morning. A Reuters correspondent in Kut, 170 km (105 miles) south of Baghdad, heard gunfire and mortar impacts and saw buildings and cars aflame. Police said at least 18 people died in clashes there, including a baby girl. In the capital, a health official said 14 people were killed and more than 140 wounded in clashes in the Sadr City slum. Mortar bombs in other parts of the city killed nine people and wounded dozens, including three American civilians in the fortified Green Zone diplomatic and government compound. One American soldier died of bullet wounds. Such a big Iraqi operation would have been impossible a year ago, showing how far Iraqi forces have come, said U.S. military spokesman Major-General Kevin Bergner: "These are Iraqi decisions, they are Iraqi government forces and these are Iraqi leaders implementing and directing these decisions." U.S. and British backing was limited to air support and teams of mentors embedded with Iraqi officers, Bergner said. Sadr declared a ceasefire last August, winning praise at the time from U.S. commanders for helping to reduce violence, although they say "rogue" Mehdi Army units outside Sadr's control have continued to fight with support from Iran. The truce now looks fragile at best, although senior Sadr aide Luwaa Sumaisem told Reuters it was still in place. Hazem al-Nuaeimi, an Iraqi political analyst, said Sadr has always been a thorn to rival Shi'ite groups and that Maliki's crackdown was an attempt to weaken the cleric's strength. "There is a need to minimise the Sadrists's strength and influence and to draw the lines before they get any stronger." A senior Shi'ite official said the decision for the military operation in Basra was taken three months ago. Sadr's followers have taken to the streets demonstrating against Maliki's government and forcing schools, universities and shops to close. On Tuesday he said he would call a "civil revolt" if attacks against his followers did not stop. The head of Sadr's office in Basra, Harith al-Ithari, said the movement was negotiating with Maliki to end the fighting. "There are ongoing negotiations with the prime minister. Maliki asked to meet Sadr officials in Basra," he told Reuters. Another top aide, Hassan al-Zargani, read to Reuters what he said was a statement from Sadr calling on Maliki to leave Basra and appoint a delegation to hold talks. British forces, which patrolled Basra for nearly five years, withdrew to a base outside the city in December and were not involved in the fighting. A British military spokesman said the Iraqi assault was expected to last two to three more days. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #4 "Moqtada al-Sadr ... has been a long-standing source of the festering of violence in Iraq." Then let's see what we can to to make him a long-lying (dead) source of festering, JQC. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2008-03-27 12:29 |
| #3 Moqtada al-Sadr, along with Iran's meddling, has been a long-standing source of the festering of violence in Iraq. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2008-03-27 11:52 |
| #2 sadhr is an on demand useful idiot, the demo pols in US are blowing up on thier stupidity, so Sadhr who had planned to release his chaos around election time, was moved forward to take the pressure off the clock ticking on these retreat now candidates. lets all pray the iraqi army is decisive with these baboons. |
| Posted by: Thraviper Panda2099 2008-03-27 11:23 |
| #1 the decision for the military operation in Basra was taken three months ago. Quid pro quo for the Surge, or just reached the point of readiness? Happy hunting, O Iraqis -- demonstrate beyond question how well you have learnt to do such things. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-03-27 07:46 |