Posted on 02/13/2007 4:48:18 PM PST by mdittmar
Feb. 13, 2007 The story tonight in Iraq is not the arrival of more U.S. troops, but the departure of one of the country's most powerful men, Moqtada al Sadr and members of his army.
According to senior military officials al Sadr left Baghdad two to three weeks ago, and fled to Tehran, Iran, where he has family.
Al Sadr commands the Mahdi Army, one of the most formidable insurgent militias in Iraq, and his move coincides with the announced U.S. troop surge in Baghdad.
Sources believe al Sadr is worried about an increase of 20,000 U.S. troops in the Iraqi capital. One official told ABC News' Martha Raddatz, "He is scared he will get a JDAM [bomb] dropped on his house."
Sources say some of the Mahdi army leadership went with al Sadr.
Though he is gone for now, many think al Sadr is not gone for good. In Tehran he is trying to keep the Madhi militia together.
In recent months al Sadr has come to the political table to force change rather than using military force to have an impact. Sources say an even more extreme faction within his militia isn't pleased with this turn of events, and is trying to force the cleric to respond to recent Sunni attacks with more violence.
U.S. officials say they are going to watch those member of the Mahdi army left behind in Baghdad. Sources say two scenarios are possible: Either al Sadr will be driven further into extremist mode or he will continue going forward with the political process.
I've heard that cell phones occasionally experience spontaneous combustion.
"I don't disagree with anything you said. In fact, I agree with everything you said, and it bears repeating."
It bears repeating AGAIN; until the powers that be in the White House finally get their act together and KILL this guy! "He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day." We need to take this creap out of the equasion (kill him) so that he can not come back to fight another day.
Who can waddle away quicker? Mookie from his possible death or Her Thighness from a debate; perhaps I could have just repeated the earlier phrase.
Now is the time to slam the boarder shut with IRAN and shot to kill anyone who tries to cross that boarder. Might be amazed at the slow down of stupid morons blowing things up.
Had the Rules of Engagement not been weakened, the Republicans would still control the House and Senate, because the loss of life in Iraq would be substantially lower than it is today.
I want to know who was responsible for changing the RoE (months/years ago). Ultimately, the buck stops with the CINC.
God speed, GEN Petraeus!
Muslim bigshots and democrats are nearly indistiguishable. Raise a firm fist at either of them and they shrink. Punks.
Not that might makes right. It doesn't. But it does take something more than lip service to show your committed.
It will have one forward speed and five reverse speeds.
The muslim terrorists are such big, powerful 'men', when they are blowing up defenseless women and children in a market place, or pounding a goat...
But when they face real SOLDIERS and MARINES, they sh#t their pants and run...
...like the cowardly, filthy p#ssies they are.
Maybe somebody will clue Pelosi, Reid, Murtha, Durbin, Kucinich and the rest of the usual convicts in on the fact that the rats are already fleeing the ship in anticipation of the surge which hasn't really started going full boar yet.
Agree 100%.
We had our chance to get Sadr and blew it by appeasing the Maliki government. Now he will regroup in the safety of a mentor's bosom. While it's good that he has fled, dead would be much better.
Who did he leave in charge of his troops?
Agree 100%.
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