Posted on 10/25/2006 4:40:40 AM PDT by floridareader1
AGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. and Iraqi forces on Wednesday raided Sadr City, the stronghold of the feared Shiite militia led by radical anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, but Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki disavowed the operation, saying he had not been consulted and insisting "that it will not be repeated."
The defiant al-Maliki also slammed the top U.S. military and diplomatic representatives in Iraq for their Tuesday press conference, at which they said Iraq needed to set a timetable to curb violence ravaging the country. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said al-Maliki had agreed.
"I affirm that this government represents the will of the people and no one has the right to impose a timetable on it," al-Maliki said at a news conference.
At least four people were killed and 18 injured in the overnight fighting in the overwhelmingly Shiite eastern district known as Sadr City, according to Col. Khazim Abbas, a local police commander, and Qassim al-Suwaidi, director of the area's Imam Ali Hospital.
The U.S. military said Iraqi army special forces, backed up by U.S. advisers, carried out a raid to capture a "top illegal armed group commander directing widespread death squad activity throughout eastern Baghdad," the military said in a statement.
Al-Maliki, who is commander in chief of Iraq's army, heatedly denied he knew anything about the raid:
"We will ask for clarification about what has happened in Sadr City. We will review this issue with the multinational forces so that it will not be repeated. ...The Iraqi government should be aware and part of any military operation. Coordination is needed between Iraqi government and multinational forces."
As the raid began, Iraqi forces were fired on and asked for American airpower backup. The U.S. said it used "precision gunfire only to eliminate the enemy threat," according to the military's statement.
Up to now, U.S. and Iraqi forces have largely avoided the densely populated Sadr City slum, grid of rutted streets and tumble-down housing that is home to 2.5 million Shiites and under the control of al-Sadr's Mahdi Army.
Reining in the Mahdi Army and militia's like is one of the thorniest problems facing al-Maliki because his fragile Shiite-dominated government derives much of its power from the al-Sadr and a second political power with a powerful militia, the Supreme Council for the Revolution in Iraq, or SCIRI.
Groups of young men in black fatigues favored by the Mahdi Army, were seen driving toward the area to join the fight.
Maliki is only in power becaue of support from radical anti-American mullah Al-Sadr. We are being played for stooges by this guy Maliki. Time for a coup ?
If these Iraqi fools won't take a stand then withdraw and let them kill each other.
The defiant al-Maliki also slammed the top U.S. military and diplomatic representatives in Iraq for their Tuesday press conference, at which they said Iraq needed to set a timetable to curb violence ravaging the country. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said al-Maliki had agreed.
"I affirm that this government represents the will of the people and no one has the right to impose a timetable on it," al-Maliki said at a news conference.
We fought a war and have lost over 2,000 troops so this asshat can tell us what to do.....don't think so..
GWB has finally told Maliki to straighten up and destroy Sadr's militia. Maliki says he will start doing that sometime next year.
Finally, Bush has woken up to Maliki's games. What took him so long to catch on?
OK Maliki...how about we withdraw your protection...because from where I'm sitting that is the only thing keeping the wolves from your door.
"Reining in the Mahdi Army and militia's like is one of the thorniest problems facing al-Maliki because his fragile Shiite-dominated government derives much of its power from the al-Sadr."
This is the same type of game that Yassar Arafat played with Hamas and the Al Aqsa Marytrs Brigade. Good cop, bad cop.
Arafat got a Nobel Peace Price for his treachery. Maybe Maliki will also receive one?
Long, long overdue.
That idiot needs to have been . . . pulverized and scattered to the 4 winds long ago and ASAP.
gotta think of political ramifications I guess, sort of like we can't attack too much during ramadan. Sounds like b.s. to me.
Port st. lucie here floridareader.
If Maliki thinks no one can dictate to him a time table, he should not forget the time table involves US forces. If the Democrats gain power, he'd see that he had few options but to accept our retreat. And he shows his colors when he becomes upset with his own forces for going after what our military spokesman called: "'a top illegal armed group commander directing widespread death squad activity throughout eastern Baghdad,'" the military said in a statement."
Oh yes, the holy month of Ramadan. LOL.
President Bush said the reason that so many more American troops were being killed this month is because it was "the Islamic holy month of Ramadan".
I am not kidding you . .
Their holidays are sure different than our holidays, aren't they?
So what you're saying is that it is ok to go ape on Christmas and kill lots of the enemy?
Since you are afraid of clowns, I hope you won't be going to any demorat rallys soon as you be scared silly in 30 seconds, especially if Hitlery or Pelosi show up!
Then you're unclear on the concept of democracy.
SCREW YOU, Maliki. Everybody KNOWS the trouble in Baghdad stems from that festering hellhole called Sadr City. You'd better be glad we're not just flat out LEVELING it.
Stop sticking up for your Iranian buddies and LEAD this nation for which our troops have spilled their blood.
And don't give us that "will of the people" crap. You know as well as I do that the Iraqi people DON'T WANT IRAN IN HERE.
Now get out of the way and let the U.S. and Iraqi forces do what has to be done to make this a stable country.
Oh, and SCREW IRAN AND MUQTADA AL SADR.
Ramadan ended a couple of days ago, thank goodness.
Do you really think Iraq is a democracy? Try exercising your freedom of speech on any Iraqi street corner.
Just because people stick their fingers in purple ink doesn't make it a democracy. Democracy involves tolerance, freedom of speech, and civiilization. Little of which exists in Iraq right now.
I don't get his show here in Savannah, but I know (because John F'n Kerry said so) that everything wrong in Iraq is Bush's fault, not the Arab terrorists. ( At least that's what the memo said.)
If Maliki won't let us put an end to the militias, we should tell him bye-bye and let HIM figure it all out. The existence of the militias is incompatible with a stable government, much less a democratic government. It is chaos.
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