Posted on 10/20/2006 5:37:47 AM PDT by Eurotwit
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Shiite militia run by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr seized total control of the southern Iraqi city of Amarah on Friday in one of the boldest acts of defiance yet by one of the country's powerful, unofficial armies, witnesses and police said.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki dispatched an emergency security delegation that included the Minister of State for Security Affairs and top officials from the Interior and Defense ministries, Yassin Majid, the prime minister's media adviser, told The Associated Press.
The Mahdi Army fighters stormed three main police stations Friday morning, planting explosives that flattened the buildings, residents said.
About 800 black-clad militiamen with Kalashnikov rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers were patrolling city streets in commandeered police vehicles, eyewitnesses said. Other fighters had set up roadblocks on routes into the city and sound trucks circulated telling residents to stay indoors.
Fighting broke out in Amara on Thursday after the head of police intelligence in the surrounding province, a member of the rival Shiite Badr Brigade militia, was killed by a roadside bomb, prompting his family to kidnap the teenage brother of the local head of the a-Madhi Army.
The Mahdi Army seized several police stations and clamped a curfew on the city in retaliation.
At least 15 people, including five militiamen, one policeman and two bystanders, have been killed in clashes since Friday, Dr. Zamil Shia, director of Amarah's department of health, said by telephone from Amarah.
The events in the city highlight the threat of wider violence between rival Shiite factions, who have entrenched themselves among the majority Shiite population and are blamed for killings of rival Sunnis.
Mahdi Army militiamen have long enjoyed a free rein in Amarah, the provincial capital of the southern province of Maysan. The militiamen often summon local government officials for meetings at their offices, and they roam the city with their weapons, manipulate the local police and set up checkpoints at will.
Since British troops left Amarah in August, residents say the militia has been involved in a series of killings, including slayings of merchants suspected of selling alcohol and women alleged to have engaged in behavior deemed immoral by militiamen.
Muqtada al-Sadr is a pos that should have been terminated a long time ago. Big Blunder by our military, imo.
ping
IT's good when they congregate -- like roaches in an open cereal box at a cabin.
Cordon off the city. Jam all civilain frequencies. Prosecute the battle with extreme prejudice. Give the city back the the lawful Iraqi government.
It might seem so in retrospect that some mistakes were made back in 2004. Fallujah should have been crushed, and Sadr and his bandites should have been taken out.
Perhaps there is still time to make up for lost time...
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki dispatched an emergency security delegation that included the Minister of State for Security Affairs and top officials from the Interior and Defense ministries, Yassin Majid, the prime minister's media adviser, told The Associated Press.
Do you actually know that it was the military's decision?
>>.Iraq is just a mess. <<
Make that parts of Iraq are a mess.
Have you spoken to any Iraqis lately?
To not take out the pos? Of course. If they had made the decision to take him out, they could have, and should have made the decision. When I say military, I'm referring all the way to the Commander-in-Chief.
A military blunder? How about the policy makers in Washington?
It's high time Moqtada and his "army" were taken out once and for all.
A military blunder? How about the policy makers in Washington?
You are more then accurate there marvlus.
I'm sorry to say that Prime Minister Maliki seems to be on the side of alSadr. Iraq will never have anything more than temporary lulls in violence while alSadr is a prominent figure. Since he takes orders from Iran, they either need to get rid of him, or get rid of his masters.
Big things here. If we do not have the will or the nerve to crush the cockroaches in the cereal box, that will say EVERYTHING that needs to be said about the future of our mission there. Nothing could be more clear. It's put up or shut up and go home.
You can thank Colon Powell for this situation.
If we were serious about this war we would now level Amarah.
We ceased to be serious at the point that our guys took Baghdad. Than we flipped from warfighting mode to hearts-and-mindsand it has been downhill from there.
Muslims.
The way to stop Muslims from killing us is to get them killing themeselves.
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