BBC: Firefight breaks out in Nasiriya, apparently between rival Iraqi groups. More soon.

BBC TV news ^ | 4/9/03 | BBC

[Smogger]

Nothing on their website yet. This is on the bottom of the screen.

[xm177e2]

Right. The Baghdad Broadcasting Corporation sees Saddam's Gestapo and the Iraqi people rising up to attack them as just "two different factions". It would be funny if it weren't so repulsive.

If that's true, I would agree with you. I still think we should wait to learn which two factions were going at it. If it's just civilians stringing up Ba'athists, then good on them. If it's Shi'ites and Sunnis, this could get very ugly, and we have to put a stop to it immediately.

[ArrogantBustard]

This needs to be nipped in the bud.

Not necessarily.

Let them do to Saddam's thugs what the Italians did to Mussolini and the Romanians did to the Ceaucesceaus. It'll be good for them, both immediately and in the long run.

[aristeides]

Shiite Schism.

[Aric2000]

I would almost guarantee that this is betwwen the Shiites and the Baathists, if so, I say let them go at it.

The Shiites outnumber the Baathists by a good number, let them get it out of thier systems, less Baathists for us to deal with later.

[kinghorse]

"One of the reasons we will need to stick around for a while is to keep Iraq from becoming Afganistan - a country of anarchy with tribal wars and warlords. That gave birth to the Taliban. Nobody wants to see Iraq fall to militant islam."

I don't think I'm headed out on too long a limb if I say what you fear has a snowball's chance in hell of happening.

[New Horizon]

That's about all we can do...these guys will be jockeying for power positions now that we're in there and "freeing" up these idiots to do whatever they want.

Just like Assramistan, it's not going to be a short process in straightening up this place.

But, it will settle eventually. Too bad a lot of good people will die in the process.

[kinghorse]

also I should mention it was written somewhere today that an exiled Iraqi force of some 5,0000 men has landed in Nasiriya. They are probably in the process of earning their spurs (much like Karzai did at the Kandahar air field battles) for future leadership positions in Iraq. You have to walk the walk before you can talk the talk in this part of the world.

[MrNeutron1962]

Brian's not a Private, He's a very naughty boy.

[New Horizon]

BTW - I think I'll watch "Tombstone" tonight!

[shadowman99]

I'm not talking about the Karzi govt. I was refering to the anarachy following the Soviet occupation that led to Muslim clerics coming in and taking over.

If we pull up stakes and left it to the UN to run things (or not run things), we can look forward to another America hating ruling body in Iraq.

[kinghorse]

"In a surprise move, the United States has begun airlifting hundreds of members of an Iraqi exile group into southern Iraq. Taking up camp on the outskirts of Nasiriya, the soldiers belong to the Iraqi National Congress. Their leader, Ahmed Chalabi, a former London-based banker, was among those flown in."

There you go.

[jriemer]

This needs to be nipped in the bud.

Naw, they're just gettin' some "closure" medieval-style. Let 'em get it all out of their system before a 2003-version government is installed...

[antaresequity]

This needs to be nipped in the bud.

Freedom earned endures...freedom given is squandered like a christmas toy....

They want to pay for their freedom...this is very very very healthy

[Captain Kirk]

So are are you claiming that the status quo in Afghanistan, where the warlords rule outside of Kabul and where the Heroin crop has reached new record levels is a successful model of "nation building" for us to follow?

[shadowman99]

No, that's not what I'm saying. How do you read what I posted and come to that conclusion?

[thoughtomator]

Also healthy is for the world to see the newly free Iraqi people turn on their slave masters. While we should immediately clamp down on any violence between groups of Iraqis, we should not interfere if one of those groups is a remnant of Saddam's regime. They have forfeited the protection we extend to peaceful Iraqis.

[EaglesUpForever]

So are are you claiming that the status quo in Afghanistan, where the warlords rule outside of Kabul and where the Heroin crop has reached new record levels is a successful model of "nation building" for us to follow?

We don't have a good example to follow, Iraq (like Afghanistan) will be some form of mess for years to come any way you slice it. Can't turn around a ship quickly, especially one that's been steaming towards hell for many years.

The best we can hope for is (a) eliminate the threat to the US, (b) mitigate humanitarian disaster by making sure the transition doesn't lead to massive carnage and starvation, and (c) encourage progress towards a democratic society to the extent possible. Mainly (a)...

[Blood of Tyrants]

Just a little revenge going on.

[kattracks]

Iraqis fight each other in Nassiriya, U.S. says


NASSIRIYA, Iraq, April 7 (Reuters) - Small arms fire and explosions echoed through the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriya after dark on Monday as U.S. forces in the area stood by and put it down to in-fighting among Iraqis.

Reuters correspondent Adrian Croft heard the crack of rifle fire and blasts from what sounded like rocket-propelled grenades ringing out in the city centre, becoming quite intense for a time. But it was unclear who was involved and U.S. commanders said they did not plan to intervene.

"We're looking at forces inside the city taking each other on. This is Iraqi against Iraqi," said Captain Rick Crevier, a company commander with the U.S. 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

Crevier said the combatants could be residents fighting pro-Baghdad Fedayeen paramilitaries, people rebelling against President Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, or simply looters.

"We are letting these guys figure it out and then we'll sort things out tomorrow morning. There are no U.S. forces engaged right now," Crevier said. "We are going to go through and clear the aftermath in the morning and see what is left."

There have been incidences of looting and score-settling among Iraqis in other towns now under U.S. or British control.

It was not known whether the fighting was linked with the reported arrival in Nassiriya of several hundred anti-Saddam Iraqi opposition fighters headed by Ahmad Chalabi, the best known leader of the Iraqi National Congress (INC).

An opposition official said in Washington on Monday that the 700 fighters would join the U.S. military campaign against the Iraqi government, delivering humanitarian aid and "maintaining law, order and stability in areas already liberated."

In an apparent reference to Chalabi's group, Crevier said he understood there would be a parade through Nassiriya on Tuesday by 700 anti-Saddam forces.

Nassiriya is a strategically placed city straddling the lower Euphrates river and was the scene of fierce fighting soon after U.S. and British forces invaded Iraq on March 20. There have been no reports of Iraqi resistance there for some days.

04/07/03 15:44 ET

[Minty]

Contain and use diplomacy over and over again. We can learn fast from the UN