Posted on 03/28/2008 3:23:26 AM PDT by maquiladora
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Fighters loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr have seized the centre of the southern Nassiriya city, a Reuters witness said on Friday.
A four-day-old Iraqi army crackdown on Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army in Basra, Iraq's second city and its gateway to the Gulf, has sparked fighting across the south and in Baghdad.
In the capital, Iraqi lawmakers were due to hold an emergency session in a bid to end violence in the flashpoint oil city of Basra, where Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki gave militants a new deadline to hand over their weapons.
A Reuters reporter in Nassiriya, capital of Dhi Qar province, said he could see groups of fighters with machineguns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. The sound of sporadic gunfire echoed through the streets. Police appeared to be staying in their stations, he said.
Militants have also taken control of the town of Shatra, 40 km to the north, he said, citing witnesses.
(Excerpt) Read more at uk.reuters.com ...
The title is misleading. This is Mookie’s Monkeys, not the generic “Shi’ite Fighters”
Oh it’s Reuters. Never mind.
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A BEDTIME WAR STORY I WOULD LIKE TO READ....
OR WATCH ON YOUTUBE!
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Roger that, recon...
Rolling in hot with snake & nape... errrr... uhhhh....
Wrong war... sorry....
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Hello brass hat...
This is A-UAV crew 26-4B....
That's right sir...
We have two targets in Nassiriyah...
On-board sensors observe Target #1:
A large group of hostiles in the open--
Appears to be militants massing for in-street combat right after sunrise.....
Target #2 is a smaller group observed in a safe house...
Yes sir... appears to be hostile lead-team briefing...
Honcho IS with them -- intel confidence is very high....,br> They are also armed with AK's, RPG's, and a couple of sniper rifles...
We can take the troop mass with no help... one shot
Our eyes on the surface have verified the high value targets in the structure.... they have lased the window sill of the meeting room -- we have a good bead...
Permission to engage both targets?
Roger that, sir....
Other overhead assets will engage Target #1 -
Hostiles in the open....
The old "Spooky" drivers would love this...
Permission granted to rain on Target #2":
Copy that sir...
Confirmation order Y-C-K-1-A 8...
Hellfire away....
Redundant tracking on the structure...
22 seconds until impact...
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Say goodnight, Mookie...
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Say goodnight, Mookie...from your keyboard to God’s ear, may eternal HBUH.
Not good.
Read an analysis last night (okay it was CNN online but it was pretty good). this situation is precarious...and evidently, Mookie has enough followers to make a lot of trouble. Iran is backing him but also has him on a short leash as they do not want him to get too far off the reservation.
“Fighters loyal to Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr have seized the centre of the southern Nassiriya city, a Reuters witness said on Friday.”
Two thoughts... the witness is named mookie jr. and if the terrorists, according to rooters, have seized the “center” of the city... that probably means the good guys have them surrounded on all sides and are squeezing them slowly. One must search for the truth in statements from liars.
LLS
I give no credence to any Reuters report, especially one concerning the Middle East. Too much Saudi influence.
I remember earlier reports of “fighters seizing the center of the city” that consist of them waiting until no armed opposition was around, then running out and standing in the middle of the square with their weapons.
When word got out that they were there and we started to move to the location, they turned tail and ran away.
aka - “Target Rich Environment”
mookies boys are cowards!
LLS
not good, if true. Maliki may end up having to call us in after all. He’s been utilizing our air support, but if the police won’t leave their stations, our boys on the ground may be called in
you hearing anything about Nassiriya or Shatra, or is Reuters full of it??
Most of the Iraqis aren't here today because of the curfew. Plus, they usually aren't here on Fridays. One of them who lives here on base and monitors the Arabic TV news and websites says he hasn't heard anything about this.
hopefully, its just a PR stunt where the bad guys make sure no ones around, they all go running into the town square with their guns/RPGs, fire into the air, with a Reuters reporter nearby . . . and then they all go scurrying back home.
One way or the other, its a little discouraging the news about Maliki extending the deadline.
I'm sure everything will be fine. They're all brothers in Islam < / extreme sarcasm off >
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