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| Iraq |
| President Calls Battles in Iraq a 'Defining Moment' |
| 2008-03-29 |
| President Bush today called the Iraqi government's battle against Shiite Muslim militias a "defining moment in the history of a free Iraq" that shows a commitment to "even-handed justice," and he vowed continued U.S. help for the effort. Answering questions from reporters after a White House meeting with Australia's new prime minister, Bush said Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki made the decision to take on the militias and criminal gangs in the southern port city of Basra, Iraq's second-largest city and main oil-exporting hub. Bush said that he was "not exactly sure what triggered the prime minister's response" but that he suspects it stemmed from complaints from Basra residents who grew "sick and tired" of the gunmen's behavior in the city. "From the beginning of liberation, there have been criminal elements that have had a pretty free hand in Basra," Bush said. "And it was just a matter of time before the government was going to have to deal with it." "Most people want to have normal lives," he said. "Most people don't like to be shaken down." It was Maliki, himself a Shiite, who "made the decision to move, and we'll help him," Bush said. He stressed that the offensive "was his decision; it was his military planning; it was his causing the troops to go from point A to point B." He added that "a lot of folks here in America were wondering whether or not Iraq would even be able to do it in the first place. And it's happening." Many key posts in the Maliki government are held by Shiites, who make up the majority of Iraq's population. Bush said Maliki's decision to move Iraqi forces into Basra "shows even-handed justice, shows he's willing to go after those who believe they're outside the law." Routing out the militias and gangs "is going to take a while," he said. "But it is a necessary part of the development of a free society." Bush did not specifically address questions about the role of U.S. forces in fighting a major Shiite militia in Baghdad's Sadr City, where U.S. armor was deployed yesterday to battle Mahdi Army militiamen loyal to cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. There, Washington Post correspondent Sudarsan Raghavan saw U.S. Stryker armored vehicles, backed by U.S. helicopters and drones, engaging militiamen armed with AK-47 assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, as Iraqi army and police units stayed on the outskirts of the sprawling Shiite stronghold. Bush insisted that Iraqi forces "are in the lead" in the Basra fighting, adding that "this is a good test for them." He said the United States "of course will provide them help if they ask for it and if they need it." |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 *Despite numerous victories and successes, the budding US-CENTRIC OWG-NWO CAN STILL BE STOPPED AND DEFEATED. * Despite defeats and heavy losses vv US-Coalition in Iraq-Afghanistan, etc., OSAMA + RADICAL ISLAM REMAIN ORGANIZED, AROUND, AND CAPABLE OF NEW ATTACKS. THE MIL VICTORIOUS VERSUS THE MIL NOT-YET-DEFEATED. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-03-29 00:54 |