Posted on 07/16/2006 7:33:14 PM PDT by neverdem
BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 16 — As sectarian violence soars, many Sunni Arab political and religious leaders once staunchly opposed to the American presence here are now saying they need American troops to protect them from the rampages of Shiite militias and Shiite-run government forces.
The pleas from the Sunni Arab leaders have been growing in intensity since an eruption of sectarian bloodletting in February, but they have reached a new pitch in recent days as Shiite militiamen have brazenly shot dead groups of Sunni civilians in broad daylight in Baghdad and other mixed areas of central Iraq.
The Sunnis also view the Americans as a “bulwark against Iranian actions here,” a senior American diplomat said. Sunni politicians have made their viewpoints known to the Americans through informal discussions in recent weeks.
The Sunni Arab leaders say they have no newfound love for the Americans. Many say they still sympathize with the insurgency and despise the Bush administration and the fact that the invasion has helped strengthen the power of neighboring Iran, which backs the ruling Shiite parties.
But the Sunni leaders have dropped demands for a quick withdrawal...
--snip--
“This is the biggest change that has happened here,” the ambassador said of the shift in Sunni attitudes toward the American presence in Iraq. “A lot of Sunnis realized that they made a mistake in not participating in the elections in January 2005. Now, they are beginning to see the payoff.”
A telling sign of the new dynamic is the growing tension between some Shiite leaders and the ambassador. When he came to Baghdad a year ago, Mr. Khalilzad was so warmly embraced by Shiite leaders that they often referred to him by a Shiite nickname, Abu Ali. Now, the same Shiites refer to him as Abu Omar, a Sunni nickname.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Let's hope the Iranian and Syrian whackjobs in Iraq run off to southern Lebanon--and are mercilessly slaughtered.
What we should do is look for troop movements, or movements of large armed groups. Then use some MOABS.
why am I smiling?
All I can say is Duh...
Maaaah-velous idea!
How about we use some MOABs, then look for troop movements? ;)
Someone over there needs to take out that fat Mocktada al Sadr(sp?) bastard asap. Get that done and watch the violence calm. He has to go; he is the Iranian link there.
keats5 wrote:
"Funny thing is that the Lame Stream Media has been praising Bush's "new" diplomatic style all week. Maybe Bush should ask the UN to adopt a resolution asking the Shiites to play nice with the Sunnis."
---I was just thinking of Team America World Police, where the leader asks the actor, when he wants to come back to the Team America team -after micheal moore blows up Mnt Rushmore, and he says, "You really wanna help the team? Gimme a BJ to prove you mean it!" Bush should say that to the Sunnis :)
Right. They should take a number.
...and the Chechens are giving it up for Russian love? I'd give 1 grain of salt to the Sunni's t'ill I'm proven wrong. We should now trust them---right??
LOL!
I LOVE your source URL.
The sovereign gov't of Iraq needs some more cards to play. They need more leverage to take and hold, one by one, each neighborhood now controlled by militias, and make the militias disband.
Why, 56K dialup hell?
That might work... lOL
Let's hope the Iranian and Syrian whackjobs in Iraq run off to southern Lebanon--and are mercilessly slaughtered."
Add to that the Sadrist Iraqi whack jobs, who are Hezbollah fans and are the same ones who are killing the Sunnis in Baghdad, which the Sunnis now want the US to protect them from.
Funny, once I saw the news that the Iraqi Govt stood behind Hezbollah on this I saw this coming - al Sadr is the the Hezbollah of Iraq ... we must see Hezbollah destroyed, or the Iranian/Hezbollah/alSadr axis will strengthen.
Sadr's gotta go, get rid of him and the Sunni's are in.
About time our wonderful troops and America is appreciated by those we freed then from the absolute terror and horror of Saddamn and his sons.
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