Uprising By Shiites in Basra Underway; British Pouring Artillery into City

Sky News Live Feed ^ | 03/25/03 | TonyInOhio

[TonyInOhio]

Just monitored on Sky News: embedded reporter says Shiites in Basra have begun, in his words, a "popular uprising" against the Saddam forces still in the city. British Army units are "pouring" artillery into the city (likely isolated areas) preparing to move in.

[Grampa Dave]

They will not be let down this time.

[JohnHuang2]

Welcome!

[P.O.E.]

There's a Shiite and Baath joke in here somewhere...

Like "Shiites take Baath", or something like that.

[KansasCanadian]

Wow! The media libs will HATE to report this!

I actually watch CNN at this point to watch them Shi'ite their pants

[HiTech RedNeck]

VRRR too

[Porterville]

That was Kattie the Colon who said Saddham is loved by everyone, and that America can't win in such dusty terrain because the dirt hurts our widdle eyeballs.

[nicmarlo]

Finally the Iraqis are realizing that we mean it this time!! I guess they are feeling that little thing called Freedom creep up on them!

Yes, poor people....after leaving them to be slaughtered by Saddam last time, I don't blame them for their lingering doubts that WE MEAN BUSINESS THIS TIME. Hooray for the Iraqis!!

[merrin]

Iraq is majority (60-65%, according to the CIA World Factbook) Shi'a. Saddam is nominally a Sunni Muslim, which is why he has historically oppressed the Shi'a.

Iran has some influence among Iraqi Shi'a Muslims, and we're going to have to take action to make sure that the current Iranian regime gains no influence in liberated Iraq.

[Poohbah]

Thanks for the clarification, John H K!

[Jim Noble]

>>Are the Shi'ites muslims? If so, why are they here and not in Iran?<<

Excellent question.

Persia (Iran) has existed for 3000 years, more or less where t is today.

"Iraq" was invented by the British Foreign Office in 1922, has no native people and no natural boundaries. They merged three Turkish provinces: Mosul (Kurds), Mesopotamia (Sunni Arabs, Chaldean Christians, Jews) and Basra (Marsh Arabs, Shiites).

Why they did this, I don't know. Why we decided that a guarantee ot the territorial integrity of "Iraq" was a good idea, I cannot fathom except as some kind of misguided multiculturalism.

[goldstategop]

They're different ethnic groups. The Shias in Iraq are Arabs, the Shias in Iran are Persian.

[JohnHuang2]

If what we are hearing is true.. this is just the beginning..

Ya nailed it :)

[Conservateacher]

Shi'ites are actually a majority in Iraq. I think I read that the Sunnis (Saddams people)are only 25%.

[Anomaly in Illinois]

That looks like a paint by number. Very classy...not!

God bless our troops!

[Grampa Dave]

Shiites pull the plug on the Baath!

[JohnHuang2]

Amen, my friend

[Destro]

pessimist? because I denigrate FOX/SKYNEWS? I love their editorial slant and especially Brit Hume but their reporting (outside of Brit Hume's) has been jingoistic and self serving.

[concerned about politics]

Shiites in Basra have begun, in his words, a "popular uprising" against the Saddam forces still in the city.

IT ABOUT TIME!
We've been doing fly overs to protect the southern Shiites for 12 years!
I thought it odd they'd not help us take out the guy to killed thousands of them. (I think it was chemical?)

[FBD]

fog of war...pretty confusing there in Basra, I'm sure.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Thanks. I was wondering how the War Slut was taking the news. Probably badly.