Just yesterday the MSM printed one more of their “sky is falling” diatribes about Sadr and the push by Maliki to ensure the federal government has control of the entire country:
Muqtada al-Sadr is considering setting aside his political ambitions and restarting a full-scale fight against U.S.-led forces — a worrisome shift that may reflect Iranian influence on the young cleric and could open the way for a shadow state protected by his powerful Mahdi Army.
A possible breakaway path — described to The Associated Press by Shiite lawmakers and politicians — would represent the ultimate backlash to the Iraqi government’s pressure on al-Sadr to renounce and disband his Shiite militia.
Oh boy…the “ultimate backlash!”
But what are they forced to report on today? That the Sunni’s are coming back into the fold and one of the reasons they are is the fact that Maliki dared to go after Sadr and his thugs:
Iraq’s largest Sunni bloc has agreed to return to Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki’s cabinet after a boycott of nearly a year, several Sunni leaders said Thursday. They cited a recently passed amnesty law and the government’s crackdown on Shiite militias as reasons for the move.
The Sunni leaders said they were still working out the details of their return, an indication that the deal could still fall through. But such a return would represent a major political victory for Mr. Maliki in the midst of a military operation that has at times been criticized as poorly planned and fraught with risk. The principal group his security forces have been confronting is the Mahdi Army, a militia led by the radical Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr.
Even though Mr. Maliki’s American-backed offensive against elements of the Mahdi Army has frequently stalled and has led to bitter complaints of civilian casualties, the Sunni leaders said that the government had done enough to address their concerns that they had decided to end their boycott.
“Our conditions were very clear, and the government achieved some of them,” said Adnan al-Dulaimi, the head of Tawafiq, the largest Sunni bloc in the government. Mr. Dulaimi said the achievements included “the general amnesty, chasing down the militias and disbanding them and curbing the outlaws.”
And just a few hours ago came this news:
Iraqi Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr pulled back from confrontation with the government on Friday, asking his followers to continue to observe a shaky ceasefire and not to battle government troops.
Sadr, whose call for calm was read out in a major mosque in Baghdad, said a recent threat of “open war” was directed only at U.S. forces, not the Iraqi government.
His comments could ease some of the tension that has been simmering in Iraq since Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki cracked down on Sadr’s Mehdi Army militia a month ago and threatened to ban his mass movement from provincial elections in October.
“You are the best who committed and were patient with the decision to cease fire, and were the most obedient to your leader. I wish you would continue your patience and your belief,” said Sadr’s statement.
Catch that? Sadr is still trying to sell the cease fire bit when it’s well known the Iraqi government has continued to push at and destroy the Sadr thugs in Baghdad and Basra:
The US and Iraqi military continue to strike at Sadr’s Mahdi Army in Baghdad. Ten “criminals” were killed in strikes in Sadr City, making 82 Mahdi fighters killed in the six days since Sadr threatened renewed violence.
Iraqi and US troops are not operating under any cease-fire in Baghdad. Iraqi and US soldiers killed 10 Mahdi Army fighters since last evening, upping the number to 86 Mahdi Army fighters killed in the Baghdad region since April 20. Ten Mahdi Army fighters were killed as they planted roadside bombs and fired mortars and rockets at US and Iraqi bases. Four more Mahdi Army fighters were killed after Iraqi National Police, backed by US soldiers, raided a psychiatric hospital. “We will not relent in our efforts to rid Baghdad of these criminal elements,” said Colonel Allen Batschelet, the chief of staff for Multinational Division Baghdad.
US and Iraqi troops killed 16 Mahdi Army fighters and captured five during recent clashes in Baghdad, Rashidiyah, and Hussaniyah.
Some cease fire huh? Puhlease.
I will say this for Sadr, At least he is consistently inconsistent. Its obvious now that Sadr’s threat of another uprising was a bluff all along since he knows full well how weak his forces are and his long slide into irrelevancy is picking up steam.
Just one more sign that we are winning the war in Iraq. Want another one?
Young women are daring to wear jeans, soldiers listen to pop music on their mobile phones and bands are performing at wedding parties again.
All across Iraq’s second city life is improving, a month after Iraqi troops began a surprise crackdown on the black-clad gangs who were allowed to flourish under the British military. The gunmen’s reign had enforced a strict set of religious codes.
Yet after three years of being terrified of kidnap, rape and murder – a fate that befell scores of other women – Nadyia Ahmed, 22, is among those enjoying a sense of normality, happy for the first time to attend her science course at Basra University. “I now have the university life that I heard of at high school before the war and always dreamt about,” she told The Times. “It was a nightmare because of these militiamen. I only attended class three days a week but now I look forward to going every day.”
“All these men in black [who imposed the laws] just vanished from the university after this operation,” said Ms Ahmed. “Things have completely changed over the past week.”
In a sign of the good mood, celebratory gunfire erupted around Basra two nights ago and text messages were pinged from one mobile phone to another after an alleged senior militia leader was arrested.
As for Afghanistan:
Most insurgent attacks occur in just a quarter of Afghanistan, a Nato-led force helping to fight the insurgency here said on Wednesday, dismissing a “perception” that Taliban violence is spreading.
There had been an increase in violence over the past two years, but this was because the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) had stepped up its offensive against the movement, spokesperson Mark Laity said.
“There has been more fighting, more incidents, and the reason is almost 300 percent more activity in some parts of the insurgency generated by us,” Laity said.
However, “This insurgency is contained,” he said. “This is serious but this is not a countrywide insurgency.”
So the fact of the matter is that the insurgency in both Iraq and Afghanistan is contained and being stamped out.
Damn that bushitler!
See author page
“So the fact of the matter is that the insurgency in both Iraq and Afghanistan is contained and being stamped out”.
ummmm….is that your version of Cheney’s “last throes” comment?
Just curious.
Brandon
It’s just so hard to tell cheerleaders from unbiased news these days….
/sarc
America can’t ‘win’ in Afghanistan or Iraq any more than America could win in Viet Nam, the French in Algeria, the Russians or British in Afghanistan. You sure can be brutal, though.
The last throes of the Confederate insurgency in the U.S. lasted over 100 years (remember hearing about the church bombings in the 1960s?) after the U.S. Civil War.
Al-Sadr has a huge problem keeping his army together since he doesn’t have anything resembling command and control. The only thing he can do is ask them to make some noise or to hide. He probably doesn’t even know how many listen to him. The bombs from various forces will probably go on for years although people will feel that the Iraqi government won’t be overthrown and there isn’t a wide spread attempt to do so.
As far the Taliban go, the damage is fairly light with 5,800 dead (mostly Taliban) last year in a country larger than Iraq.
Unmurrikan seems to believe that Americans are the most brutal ones in Iraq, but when asked to provide stats comparing Al Queda atrocities to American atrocities…we get nothing; no substance. Just sizzle rather than steak. Not a surprise.
You don’t get it. Al Queda, if it is not an FBI construct has to do with Osama Bin Laden, of the family associated with the Carlyle Group of which Poppy Bush is a board member. You know, the Osama that George W. studiously does not want to catch and against whom the FBI admits to not a shred of evidence, the same Osama who supposedly plotted 9-11 from a cave while on dialysis. Heck, some people will believe anything if the propaganda is catapulted by their heroes Bush and Cheney. Maybe the Easter Bunny and Santa and Donald Duck also. Some challenged obese self-indulgent infantiles will believe anything. There was simply no justification for the brutal invasion of Iraq, and that will still be true in 100 years, or 1000. Americans have become the new Nazis. To be Hitler is one thing; to be a craven Hitler cheerleader is just too pathetic.
MSM is constantly under attack by fringe groups. The 9/11 toofers, the anti global warming clique and the pro war group. ALL think that the MSM has a hidden agenda and is under the direct control of SOROS!
The hard right constantly says it supports the war, but of course their support is mostly verbal. They would never support actually paying for it with a tax increase, they are content to just keep borrowing the money to pay for the war from the Chinese and let other generations of Americans pay for it.
Curt,
Letting you know, I’m saving your lede, ‘Crumbling Insurgency’, in a folder.
UPDATE:
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s prime minister has set four conditions for stopping a government-led crackdown against radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s militia and other illegally armed groups.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says the groups must hand over weapons and cease interference in the affairs of the state.
Al-Maliki listed the conditions in an interview Friday with Al-Arabiya TV. He is also demanding that the militants hand over all wanted people and present lists of names of people involved in violence.
Al-Sadr has threatened an “open war” if the crackdown doesn’t stop but said earlier Friday the threat only applied to U.S.-led forces, not Iraqis.
—–
Again, there appears to be no let up for Sadr as Maliki keeps putting more pressure on JAM to run it out of business; it’s highly improbable Sadr will permit him to do so without a fight.
I believe this is very dangerous strategy Maliki is attempting.
Sadr’s militia, probably more accurately understood as a “nationalist guerilla force” in this context of ‘insurgents,’ and they have neither the need nor interest to engage in firefights with heavy armor as it’s a losing battle for them. So, they are left with this: they are “the populace,” (and with those numbers being in the millions) and as such, they can simply melt back into their daily routines until opportunity presents itself again. This is worst kind of insurgency given the type of COIN we are engaging in now.
Curt believes there is no storm brewing here; it’s a ‘crumbling’ of the insurgency.
Curt accents the good news the Iraqi Accord Front is coming back to Parliament, but it is this present step to isolate the Sadrists that brought them back; it was a very risky move given Sadr’s following and numbers.
Now the only significant group completely outside the government is the Mahdi Army and it must be put out of business for good, otherwise it will appear Maliki has gone back on his word to the Sunnis.
Therefore, something must break: either JAM or Maliki.
So is Curt overly optimistic that our front is stable? or does it mean that a Sadrist war is just around the corner?
I think the evidence indicates it’s the latter.
Guys, guys… did you miss the sign at the FA cyber entrance that said “don’t feed the stray trolls”??
And I obviously disagree.
Who let the trolls in. At least Philly Steve and a few other make some sense.
Why Washington and Baghdad are playing with a loaded gun:
And Judith Miller! Yes, that Judith Miller:
One might say the US in already ’embroiled’:
Miller failed to mention the US walling off a section of Sadr City:
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/18/news/Iraq.php
And the US is engaging in air strikes in Sadr City:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/04/11/iraq.main/
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/04/25/iraq.main/?iref=hpmostpop
All the violence resulting in food, water and drug shortages:
http://www.inform.kz/showarticle.php?lang=eng&id=163634
While the Mahdi Army’s zealous Shiism is certainly repressive and violent –and we in the West can desire/demand a relaxation of it– it is to confuse the issue of progress in a military solution when one leads one into the realm of wishful thinking and willful cheer-leading that Sadr can be militarily overcome. A bit of circumspect caution is warranted here, even if one is predisposed to seeing all the “good” news that is coming out of Iraq.
Life is so much more complex than Maliki’s Iranian birth, Hakim’s leadership with Iranian liasons, etal.
Sadr, tho born an Iraqi, is not his father’s son. He has tried to leap frog to power sans religious training thru murders of those in the food chain ahead of him. Not a way to win friends and fans doing this.
Indeed, Sadr saw in the US liberation of Iraq, an opportunity to take advantage of a coup d etat during these times of wavering uncertainty. (thank you for enlightenment, Ray Robison) Oops.. didn’t work.
To assume that Sadr enjoys the undying devotions of those who followed his father is absurd. He is returning to the seminary strictly because his ascent was fraught with corruption and violence. His following was more localized, and his credibility nil in the wider regions.
With all that’s happening around him, I can only assume his studies are getting sidelined considerably. This slows his progress to becoming a more viable religious leader, and less a renegage gang thug.
That said, I’m not saying he’s not a force to be reckoned with. But I liken him to the same as US gangs and mafia.. big issues in certain areas, but small peanuts in the full scheme of things. He is on the losing side of ideology for the new Iraq. He will ultimately lose, but cost many lives before beaten down.
I keep telling ’em to honor the “do not feed” sign, Stix… But no one listens. LOL
Speaking of, where IS Phillie Steve? Did he change names to conceal the guilty??
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/international/middle_east/view.bg?articleid=1088124
It looks like there is going to be a new style of divide and conquer. There was an article two years ago where Al-Sadr had an estimated 60,000 men, but it was so large that he couldn’t control it. Who knows if insergencies have infiltrated Al-Sadr’s army as well as Al-sadr infiltrated the Iraqi government. Image local thugs and Al Qaeda fighters posing as JAM.
I should point out on another front, another article I read listed the death toll from the fighting in Afganistan as 8,000 mostly insurgents. That’s 2,200 more that the article I mentioned earlier. The U.S. doesn’t count the enemy dead and of course NATO isn’t around all the fighting to come up with these figures. Bombs, especially large bombs make it hard to count the dead.
http://www.uruknet.de/?p=m43464&hd=&size=1&l=e