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Iraq

Tater's followers grimace fearsomely, make blood-curdling threats

2008-04-22

Anti-U.S. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's movement is "ready for all options" in a growing confrontation between his followers and the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a spokesman said Monday.

Nassar al-Rubaie said the rival parties that dominate Iraq's government failed to meet conditions al-Sadr laid down in his March 30 declaration that temporarily halted fighting between Shiite militias and government forces in the southern city of Basra.

He said responses from members of the United Iraqi Alliance who have served as mediators in the confrontation have not met "the level of seriousness required by the Sadrists."

"We reviewed reactions to Sayyed Muqtada al-Sadr's latest statement, and we are ready for all options," said al-Rubaie, one of the 30 Sadrist lawmakers in Iraq's 275-member parliament.

Al-Sadr ordered his fighters in Basra to stand down and cooperate with government forces in the March 30 declaration, but called on the government to free non-convicted prisoners from his movement, stop what he called "illegal" raids on his followers and launch new public works projects across the country.

The warning comes amid renewed clashes between government troops and police and al-Sadr's followers south of Baghdad. Saturday, al-Sadr issued what he called a last warning to the government and told his followers to fight the "occupier" in his Baghdad stronghold of Sadr City.

Al-Maliki's government has called on the cleric to disband his militia, the Mehdi Army, or see his supporters barred from public office. Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh warned Sunday that "Iraq cannot be the new Somalia," with armed groups overshadowing its politics.

But al-Sadr's followers say the government's U.S.-backed crackdown on militia fighters in Basra and Baghdad is an effort to weaken the cleric's movement ahead of provincial elections scheduled for August. Sadrist lawmaker Fawzi Tarzi said Sunday that calls to disband the Mehdi Army "will mean the end of al-Maliki's government."

Posted by:Fred

#13 Rice, Bush, Cheney and the lot hang out thousands and thousands of miles away unless they deign to pop into Iraq for a few days, mince about and stir another lot of salt into the wounds, then prance back across the safety of a continent and an ocean.

That's because, you Kiwi ponce, Sadr can't afford to have other leaders besides himself. Notice that it's "Sadr and his followers"? He, in essence, is the Mahdi Army. So it is a big deal when he seeks sanctuary in Iran.

On the other hand, the US has capable military leadership already in Iraq. There's no need to have "Rice, Bush, Cheney and the lot" on the ground.

Then again, why am I surprised at your ignorant commentary? New Zealanders wouldn't know what capable military leadership, or even a capable military, is anymore. I might as well explain topology to a fruit-fly.

Posted by: Pappy 2008-04-22 21:23

#12 "I don't think anybody ever expected GWB nor Rice nor any 5-stars US general to ride into baghdad as a tank leader at the very beginning"

But imagine the turban twisting if Condi did; and if she had her black 'bad-ass biatch' boots outfit on they would go into hyper spin.....

Posted by: USN,Ret. 2008-04-22 14:33

#11 I read today in the comments section of the Long War Journal that Sadr's family is in the process of disowning him saying that he has brought shame and disrepute on the family name. If true, that should be big news and will further isolate this turd.

Posted by: remoteman 2008-04-22 14:07

#10 I'd prefer him entering the afterlife...

Posted by: tu3031 2008-04-22 13:40

#9 "Here Al-Sadr crosses into a neighboring country (maybe, maybe not) and he's a chicken. Rice, Bush, Cheney and the lot hang out thousands and thousands of miles away unless they deign to pop into Iraq for a few days, mince about and stir another lot of salt into the wounds, then prance back across the safety of a continent and an ocean."

Bush and Cheney will return to private life this January. Its not 100% certain, but I'm betting Rice will too (whichever party wins in November) I very much look forward to Sadr also entering private life, in one form or another.

Posted by: liberalhawk 2008-04-22 13:39

#8 To the last drop of blood, boys, to the last drop of blood.

Posted by: Seafarious 2008-04-22 11:06

#7 Iraq ten years hence: Many maimed, middle aged men wandering the streets wearing shirts that say "I joined the madhi army and all I got was this crappy prosthesis..."

Posted by: M. Murcek 2008-04-22 11:03

#6 Sadr and Condi. Chicken and Rice. Umm good! but be sure to chop that chicken up, chop, chop. Oh, if Sadr would just stand by his militia. Then, pretty soon, no more Sadr. Problem solved!

Posted by: Jack Slineger4174 2008-04-22 08:56

#5 I don't think anybody ever expected GWB nor Rice nor any 5-stars US general to ride into baghdad as a tank leader at the very beginning

Can you imagine the headlines if he/she did? The media and Dhimmicrats would go apeshit calling him a new 'Emperor' and 'Imperialist'....

Posted by: CrazyFool 2008-04-22 08:32

#4 They may be trying to shame him into action. The Mehdi army, like all the militias and insurgents, seems to be difficult to engage. They pop off a few rounds then run away yelling "We have defeated the infidels". If you can get them to mass and fight, you could wipe them out or at least beat them bad enough to dismantle them and seize their weapons.

Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-04-22 08:26

#3 but, of course, "Echo", Rice, Bush, and Cheney are Americans, and are residing in their own country. Kinda makes a difference, if you ever thought about it. Mookie (Iranian-puppet asshole, not radical) is "studying" Islam in Iran or some safe-hole whilst his minions are getting killed for being thugs, gangsters, and criminals. Or didn't you read the latest Iraqi Shiite fatwa? Sucks, huh?

Posted by: Frank G 2008-04-22 06:18

#2 Echo, you're right, but on the other hand, I see no harm in taunting sadr, in fact, for once, it's very satisfying to have the usual blusterers of fiery rethorics be taunted by a western pol, usually, it's the other way around, and there never is any response.

Besides, even though the equivalency is not wrong in its principle, it's dishonest to compare leaders of an huge and immensely complex machinery as the US of A to the leader of a small (by armies' standards) militia. I don't think anybody ever expected GWB nor Rice nor any 5-stars US general to ride into baghdad as a tank leader at the very beginning of the armored thrust during OIF, that is simply not their job description. sadr, however, is supposed to be both a political/religious and a military leader, of a smallish armed band. He could be much more likely to be perhaps not fighting along his troops, but at least being among them.

Posted by: anonymous5089 2008-04-22 06:02

#1 Condoleeza Rice was quoted on CNN saying:
"I guess it's all-out war for anybody but [Al-Sadr]. I guess that's the message. His followers can go to their deaths, and he'll sit in Iran."

That's rich, that is. The height of hypocrisy, really. Here Al-Sadr crosses into a neighboring country (maybe, maybe not) and he's a chicken. Rice, Bush, Cheney and the lot hang out thousands and thousands of miles away unless they deign to pop into Iraq for a few days, mince about and stir another lot of salt into the wounds, then prance back across the safety of a continent and an ocean.

By the way, it's interesting to note that the word "radical" has disappeared from the front of Al-Sadr's name. I suppose that will only last as long as the cease-fire. Elsewhere he is now being described as anti-US, which seems to be just a substitute for radical. Even so, the semantics of it all are intriguing.

Posted by: Echo 2008-04-22 04:10

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