Posted on 01/08/2011 4:06:23 AM PST by markomalley
Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr urged a sea of rapturous followers Saturday to resist all occupiers of Iraq and oppose the United States, but not necessarily with arms.
In his first speech since his homecoming Wednesday after years of self-imposed exile in Iran, the one-time firebrand burnished his anti-U.S. credentials and urged supporters to give Iraq's new government led by Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki a chance.
"We are still fighters," said Sadr, who led two uprisings against the U.S. military after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and has called for an earlier U.S. withdrawal than the agreed deadline of the end of this year.
Sadr, whose Mehdi Army militia fought U.S. troops and was blamed for much of the sectarian slaughter that gripped Iraq, called on his followers to chant "No, no to America."
He labeled the United States, Israel and Britain "common enemies," and demanded that the Iraqi government, in which his movement will play a major role, honor a promise to end the U.S. occupation this year, as agreed.
The number of U.S. troops fell to below 50,000 since the United States limited its role to one of advising and assisting the Iraqi authorities on August 31.
Tens of thousands of people from across Iraq, standing for hours outside his house in the holy Shi'ite city of Najaf and carrying Iraqi flags and pictures of the black-turbaned cleric, enthusiastically greeted him
Sadr's return to Iraq has jolted the country as it prepares for the full U.S. withdrawal at the end of the year, seeking to use its vast oil wealth to rebuild after the years of sectarian warfare and the decades of economic stagnation under Saddam Hussein that preceded the invasion.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Obama backsliding on Iraq already.
Obama backsliding on Iraq already.
And this guy is still alive because ..... ???
Look to the Iranian regime. There’s a reason they sent him back at this time.
In this case, the NeoCons conquered Iraq and gave it to Iran.
And this guy is still alive because ...
our commander bows to their King.
I forget why, but I remember seeing a film clip of him exiting his safe compound for ... I forget ... Baghdad?
We let 'im go.
I remember all that.
I understand that Iraq was in real turmoil then and we didn’t want to set off more violence at a sensitive time, but I still didn’t agree.
We should have gone in and killed this pest along with as many fighters who wanted to meet allah with him.
NOW, there is no pressing need to coddle this @ssclown.
I can picture al-Sadr as the firebrand cleric in Katie Couric’s muzzie version of “Little House of the Prairie.” Katie can be the wife that he beats daily.
Worse than Bad News. Immediately brings to mind Ruhollah Khomeini returning to Iran in February ‘79.
In allowing this malevolent “Chucky” to return, someone failed to take care of business in a manner very much like the Shah.
But one can still Hope though....
Maybe it’s time to pull out the Colt 45 Sadring iron.
Take Mookie out, NOW!
Send out a drone to hit the mutt where the sun don’t shine!
Exactly - we should have killed him years ago.
That’s my question.
He should be turning to dust in a shallow grave now.
We spent about $2 Trillion and thousands of lives, so this guy and Iranians be in power. It hurts, but it’s the truth.
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