Unexpected Iraq bloodbath raises concerns (Shiite on Shiite violence as if it's new)

MSNBC ^ | 1/30/2007 | AP

[tobyhill]

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Accounts of the bloody battle near Najaf have produced more questions than answers, raising doubts about Iraqi security forces' performance and concern over tensions within the majority Shiite community.

Among the questions: How did a messianic Shiite cult, the "Soldiers of Heaven," accumulate so many weapons and — if Iraqi accounts are accurate — display such military skills? Iraqi forces prevailed only after U.S. and British jets blasted the militants with rockets, machine gunfire and 500-pound bombs. Both U.S. and Iraqi reinforcements had to be sent to the fight.

It's also unclear how a shadowy cult that few Iraqis had ever heard of managed to assemble such a force seemingly without attracting the attention of the authorities earlier. Iraqi officials say the cult planned to slaughter pilgrims and leading clerics at Shiite religious ceremonies Tuesday — only two days after police and soldiers moved to arrest them.

If the "Soldiers of Heaven" were able to accomplish all this, how many other fringe groups may be operating beneath the radar, especially in the politically factious Shiite community of southern Iraq? Did the cultists have links to other established insurgent or militia groups?

[WVNan]

Taking the lead of the NYT I see...

My first thought. All the MSM get their talking points for the day from the NYT. Disgusting. Oh, and how about the NYT reporter who was reprimanded for wanting us to "win" in Iraq?

[ArmstedFragg]

MSNBC's inability to factually report a military action causes concern....

[tobyhill]

Their day was ruined when bombings didn't kill 500+ in Iraq with tens of million of Shiites celebrating by beating their own backs so this is the best they could come up with.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Rebuttal to this drivel:

Jaish al-Janna and Najaf ~ apocalyptic Muslim cult... may have ties to al_Queda

[tobyhill]

Very interesting.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Where are the comments about horses?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Richard Reid...I tacked the full article onto a thread ...see it here:

Analysis: Najaf Battle Raises Questions
By ROBERT H. REID
ASSOCIATED PRESS

[SaxxonWoods]

Re: charge on horseback with swords.

Nuts, posted the wrong link. Now I have to figure out where I read that. I'll search...

[SaxxonWoods]

Ernest, here we go, from Mudville:

http://www.mudvillegazette.com/milblogs/2007/01/30/#007691

Excerpt:

There's a reason that we've never heard of Jund al-Sama and it's Arab Jim Jones. They've never done anything, really.

Then snap.

They storm Najaf during the Ashura pilgrimage...on horseback. Picture the scene in Najaf during this time....thousands and thousands pouring into the city for a religious holiday where the streets are filled with not only travelers, but all kinds of performances with plays and re-enactments of the old times, etc. And here comes this cloud of dust with horses racing towards the city. After all, the Mahdi is coming. Charge!

As the article states, they are intent on killing the religious leaders, including Sistani who is viewed as a sort of 'anti-Christ' for lack of a better term. Apparently, along the way, they didn't mind taking swipes at the pilgrims as they made their way in sort of a Holy Cultic Cavalry Charge...on horseback...with swords.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to do the math: Lunatics on horses with swords vs. Iraqi police & army troops with AK-47's and surely some heavier lead spraying devices. I'll look a little harder, but I am sure that there is a report somewhere of more Iraqi police or army casualties.

It conjures images of the scene in Lawrence of Arabia where Fisal's truly brave horsemen raise their swords and charge in futility after the Turkish bi-planes dropping bombs on their tents.

Question: How is it that "500 rifles were confiscated along with mortars, heavy calibre machine guns, and Katyusha rockets" while about 350 of them were killed and yet only a handful of Iraqi troops were wounded?

Answer: By attacking a walled city on horseback with swords.

No reports of fired Katyusha rockets, mortars or machine guns. Just captured. Odd, no? They obviously weren't used by the Pale Riders storming Najaf. So...whose were they?

[WTSand]

--- and here's his article yesterday in the NY Post
That's why the "Analysis".

[jwalsh07]

You see, to MSNBC, it is not fair to blow the islamonuts to smithereens from the air. The Iraqi forces must show their mettle by wading into the kill zone while the gunships and F16's mind their own business. MSNBC has some sick bastards working over there.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks....and this agrees with Roggio.....

****************************AN EXCERPT ***********************************

And al-Yamani (of Basra, not Yemen) was the lucky recipient of reprieve from another ruthless Sunni killer, AQI's al-Masri. Recall the chastising that Zarqawi received from bin Laden & Zawahiri for not reaching out to the local tribes & clans and being too bloodthirsty. Al-Masri came in and began mending the fences. He likely figured he just might find some use for al-Yamani and his bizarre little cult. But it allowed him to extend the hand to the Shi'a without, well, really doing it with anyone that mattered.

*******************************************

AQI's al-Masri......is shorthand for al-Masri of al-Queda.....

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks...and from the comments to that piece on the Mudville.....

*********************EXCERPT ************

A better accounting of the group this morning via Wapo...

On Tuesday, Iraq Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari fixed at 263 the number of militants killed, and said that more than 500 had been arrested, Reuters reported.

Wahli said the structure of the group was Shiite, but it involved Sunni fighters and "based on the level of training, support and financing, it obviously has received support from outside Iraq."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/30/AR2007013000323.html

Remember, al-Masri extended the hand of goodwill to the loons. Perhaps he found good use for them after all. To be sure, the other Ashura attacks (bombings, etc) are indeed 'sectarian' in nature, as the Sunni groups (AQI and likely Ansar al-Sunna, for example) seek to continue to sew chaos.

Anyone heard anything on AQI's Omar Brigades, whose specialty is targeting the Shi'a? They're sure to be at the epicenter of all things non-cultic and lethal.Posted by Steve Schippert at 1350

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

More on this along with other of todays action:

Iraq: Bombs Kill Dozens of Ashura Pilgrims

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

See details on their cover for accumulating weapons at the link at post #54.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Still not sure about the horses....blogger might be playing with us....see link at post #54 to Wash Post article with some interesting detail.....

[SaxxonWoods]

Thanks, very good details. No mention of horses though. I wonder if there was a horseback charge by some of the nuttier ones, remember the "...their bullets will turn to water" routine? I think the Iranian mullahs used that one for the suicide charges against Saddam in the 80s.

More searching is called for...

[tanuki]

How many Shiites died? Why were they all there? Where did the arms come from? Why did our guys shoot back? Where did this moron get his journalism degree from?

I thought journalists were supposed to answer questions BEFORE they write the article. Inquiries are not fact and supposition is not substance.

[Vince Ferrer]

It's also unclear how a shadowy cult that few Iraqis had ever heard of managed to assemble such a force seemingly without attracting the attention of the authorities earlier.

As they were stopped before they did anything, they seemed to come to the attention of the authorities in time. Nobody has said how long they were being watched.