Sadr Fight Continues

Bill Roggio updates us on the fight against the Sadr thugs with news that 42 Iraqi police and 35 hospital workers have been arrested for colluding with the thugs AND 520 confirmed kills:

US and Iraqi troops and US air weapons teams killed 11 Mahdi Army fighters as they attacked barrier emplacement teams and planted roadside bombs in Sadr City on the night of May 5 and the morning of May 6. Iraqi soldiers and police also uncovered numerous weapons caches in northern and eastern Baghdad. In one raid, Iraqi police discovered a weapons cache in the courtyard of the Imam Ali Mosque in the Al Ghadeer neighborhood in New Baghdad. “The [National Police] found five explosively formed projectiles, two improvised explosive devices, five rocket rails, three grenades and numerous rounds of various ammunitions,” Multinational Forces Iraq reported.

Iraqi and US forces continue to conduct intelligence-driven raids against the Special Groups, the Iranian-backed elements of the Mahdi Army. The Iraqi Counterterrorism Force teams conducted two raids in Baghdad on May 4 and May 5, killing seven Special Groups operatives and capturing two.

Iraqi soldiers arrested 42 policemen and detained 35 hospital workers in Baghdad. The policemen are “suspected of collaborating with ‘outlaws,’” Reuters reported. It is not clear if the police are local or national police, or are members of the Facilities Protection Services, which guard infrastructure and are part of the Interior Ministry.

Iraqi soldiers also detained 35 hospital workers in the Mohammed Bakr Hakim hospital in the Shula neighborhood in northwestern Baghdad (number 61 on the map). The hospital workers are suspected of treating wounded Mahdi Army fighters.

Bill also updates us with more evidence on how isolated Sadr and his thugs have become with the news that the Sadrist would not be able to participate in upcoming provincial elections if it did not disband.

On April 13, the cabinet approved legislation that prevents political parties with militias from contesting provincial elections this year. The bill will now be sent to parliament for approval. Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani, the top Shiite cleric in Iraq, said the Mahdi Army was not above the law and should be disarmed.

While the fight against Sadr goes well there is more evidence daily that Iran continues to arm and support these thugs:

MND-C Soldiers conducted one operation and detained three suspects, as well as AK-47s, a bolt-action rifle, pistols, an 62 mm MTR sight, a defused grenade, body armor, a hand-held radio, a sniper rifle technical manual, an Iraqi Army uniform, cell phones, more than 20 pounds of PKC/RPK weapons repair parts, hundreds of 7.62 mm rounds and more than $120,000 in Iranian currency.

MND-C Soldiers conducted the other operation and detained two individuals, as well as an AK-47, a pistol, cell phones, body armor, a computer hard drive and a hand-held radio.

Not to mention the fact that some in the Mahdi army are openly admitting Iran’s involvement:

Abu Baqr, now a commander in the Mahdi Army militia of cleric Muqtada Sadr, blames Iran for what happened to his friend more than 20 years ago during Iraq’s war with Iran, just as he blames Saddam Hussein for that conflict.

He still hates Iran. But now, he said, he accepts its weapons to fight the U.S. military, figuring he can deal with his distaste for the Iranians later. So he takes bombs that can rip a hole in a U.S. tank and rockets that can pound Baghdad’s Green Zone without apology or regret.

“I think that the Iranians are more dangerous than the Americans. I hate them and I don’t trust them,” he said in an interview over soft drinks. But the militia has limited resources, he said, and “therefore, when somebody gives you or offers help, it’s hard to say no.”

There is only one way to deal with Iran, and it’s not the Obama way.  No talk, talk, and more talk with a few carrots thrown in.  No, they understand strength.  This fella has the right idea on how to deal with them:

John Bolton, America’s ex-ambassador to the United Nations, has called for US air strikes on Iranian camps where insurgents are trained for war in Iraq.

Mr Bolton said that striking Iran would represent a major step towards victory in Iraq. While he acknowledged that the risk of a hostile Iranian response harming American’s overseas interests existed, he said the damage inflicted by Tehran would be “far higher” if Washington took no action.

“This is a case where the use of military force against a training camp to show the Iranians we’re not going to tolerate this is really the most prudent thing to do,” he said. “Then the ball would be in Iran’s court to draw the appropriate lesson to stop harming our troops.”

Damn….I do love that guy.