Posted on 04/19/2008 3:42:06 PM PDT by Red Steel
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Saturday threatened an "open war" against the Iraqi government unless it halted a crackdown by Iraqi and U.S. security forces on his followers.
The specter of a full-scale uprising by Sadr sharply raises the stakes in his confrontation with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who has threatened to ban the anti-American cleric's movement from political life unless he disbands his militia.
A rebellion by Sadr's Mehdi Army militia -- which has tens of thousands of fighters -- could abruptly end a period of lower violence at a time when U.S. forces are starting to leave Iraq.
"I'm giving the last warning and the last word to the Iraqi government -- either it comes to its senses and takes the path of peace ... or it will be (seen as) the same as the previous government," Sadr said, referring to Saddam Hussein's fallen regime, without elaborating.
"If they don't come to their senses and curb the infiltrated militias, then we will declare an open war until liberation."
Sadr's movement accuses other Shi'ite parties of getting their militias into the Iraqi security forces, especially in southern Shi'ite Iraq where various factions are competing for influence in a region home to most of Iraq's oil output.
Sadr launched two uprisings against U.S. forces in 2004.
His movement then entered politics and backed Maliki's rise to power in 2006. But the youthful Sadr split with Maliki, a fellow Shi'ite, a year ago when the prime minister refused to set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.
"Do you want a third uprising?" Sadr said, adding that he wanted Iraq's Shi'ite clerical establishment to set a date for the departure of American troops.
In Sadr's Baghdad stronghold of Sadr City, one Mehdi Army commander said he was "thrilled" about the statement.
"We will wait until tomorrow to see the response of the government. Otherwise they will see black days like they have never seen before i
Sadr's threat could not come at a worse time. On Friday, U.S. forces said they had intelligence suggesting Sunni Islamist al Qaeda, pushed out of Baghdad and western Iraq last year, was plotting a return to the capital to stage major bomb attacks.
ROCKETS HIT HOSPITAL
In Baghdad, police described battles between security forces and gunmen that began on Friday in Sadr City as among the heaviest in the capital since Maliki launched a crackdown on the Mehdi Army in the southern city of Basra late last month.
Police said 12 people had been killed in the Shi'ite slum. Hospitals said they received more than 130 wounded overnight.
Late on Saturday, Ali Bustan, head of the health directorate in the eastern section of Baghdad, said three rockets hit the Sadr Hospital in the slum. It was unclear if there were any casualties. The U.S. military said it was not to blame.
Bustan said the bodies of three women had been brought in along with 40 wounded people following fresh clashes.
Maliki has threatened to ban Sadr's movement from provincial elections this year if the cleric does not disband his militia.
In response, Sadr has threatened to formally scrap a ceasefire he imposed on the Mehdi Army last August, which has already been hanging by a thread given recent clashes.
In his statement, Sadr did not refer to the truce, but his spokesman in the holy city of Najaf, Salah al-Ubaidi, said the cleric was not bluffing.
"We mean every word," Ubaidi told Reuters.
Sadr issued his warning after Iraqi soldiers swooped on the Mehdi Army's stronghold in Basra. Iraqi officials said they now controlled the bastion, known as the Hayaniya district.
The dawn raid by government troops there was backed by a thunderous bombardment by U.S. warplanes and British artillery.
Maliki's initial crackdown on the militia in Basra last month was criticized by U.S. commanders as poorly planned.
It failed to drive the Mehdi Army from the streets and sparked battles across the south and in Sadr City, the cleric's Baghdad stronghold. The government dismissed 1,300 soldiers and police for refusing to fight in Basra, the port for most of Iraq's oil exports.
On Saturday by contrast, Harith al-Idhari, head of the Sadr office in Basra, said the militia had not put up any resistance, in observance of a ceasefire declared by the cleric.
Major-General Abdul-Karim Khalaf, an interior ministry spokesman, described the Basra operation as a major success.
(Additional reporting by Peter Graff, Khaled Farhan, Noah Barkin and Aws Qusay in Baghdad; Editing by Jon Boyle)
IIRC, Sistani advised not to kill Sadr, as it would make him a martyr and cause his followers to ramp up the violence.
If I'm wrong, or mis-remembering, someone please correct me.
Perhaps you should do a bit of research on who you hope is the next president. YUK!
The Saudis are Sunni. Sadr is Shi’ite. Why would it offend the Saudis if Sadr was killed?
Heard these same words from one of our wounded the other night. He is itching to get back to Iraq!
Good to "see" and hear from you again!
The Saudis consider Sadr as a heretic
Someone needs to put a bullet through this guys head.
Then I repeat the question...
Why would it offend the Saudis if Sadr was killed?
Machts Nichts. The GoI never accepted his ceasefire or demands in March and has continued to engage. He is threatening war when it is already in progress for almost a month now...
The threat itself is declaration.
Is this guy even alive?
That has been said. And it's very likely true. Sadr City would probably boil over. However, the ramp-up would be temporary while the result would be positive and permanent. His followers have already ramped up the violence considerably over the last month.
It's time to put an end to this for once and for all. No more holding "ceasefires" over the Iraqis' and coalition's heads, no more fake truces - let's get it done.
Thanks for the info.
It just seems we don’t want to win in Iraq. Are we trying to maintain some equilibrium? What’s going on? Why are we afraid to kill Sadr? Why don’t we stomp Iran, or at least kill their terrorists and wipe out their training camps?
I'm with ya! Thanks for the input. Hope all is well!
I disagree. I think what we are trying to do is WIN a long term, stable, peaceful ally in the ME. From what I am told, we ARE winning hearts and minds.
It is difficult for us to understand the culture over there and the tribal mentality. See my post #22. IMO Mookie is playing a deadly game now. He was given a chance and thus far he has failed miserably. It is time to take him out!
While I agree we should take care of Iran, since we are in the area and all, how do you propose to do that with the cowards and cretins in CONgre$$?
“While I agree we should take care of Iran, since we are in the area and all, how do you propose to do that with the cowards and cretins in CONgre$$?”
A first strike. However, more than cowards and cretins inhabit congress. There are plenty of TRAITORS there too. More than likely, they would alert Iran, probably even give them troop estimates, attack time tables, etc.
We’ll have to wait and see how this pans out.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.