U.S. losing hearts and minds of Baghdad Shi'ites

Reuters via msnbc ^ | August 16, 2003 | Andrew Cawthorne

[huck von finn]

BAGHDAD, Aug. 16 — A Baghdad slum that gave a joyous welcome to U.S. troops after Saddam Hussein's fall is now seething in anger at the occupiers' shortcomings.

The sight of cheering Iraqis from the long-oppressed Shi'ite Muslim community was a big psychological boost for the Americans when they rolled into the Iraqi capital's previously named ''Saddam City'' in April.

Now they face daily protests from among the two million residents as growing resentment at the occupation turned into open fury when a helicopter appeared to try to knock off a religious flag on Wednesday.

''We were happy at first when the Americans came. Now they should keep out, no one wants them around,'' shop-owner Jasm Kathai, 40, said. ''What they did to the flag was a grave insult to Islam. There will be consequences.''

Inhabitants of the newly named ''Sadr City'' -- in honour of a top Shi'ite cleric, Ayatollah Sadr, killed by Saddam's security services in 1999 -- say the helicopter tore down the banner.

[huck von finn]

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[AntiGuv]

From the pipeline sabotage article:

Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports say U.S. forces have stopped patrols in Baghdad's Sadr City district after an incident there led to the death of an Iraqi citizen earlier this week.

On Friday, Shi'ite Muslim clerics in the Sadr City denounced the United States and warned U.S. forces to stay away.

[Redcloak]

There's a place where you can grab them such that their hearts and minds will follow.

[Enterprise]

The article makes a huge assumption that the Shi'ite for brains had a mind to start with.

[O.C. - Old Cracker]

More carefully sifted, fifth columnist propaganda, Ignore it and support our efforts in the Middle-East!

[Sam Cree]

Not forgetting that the Shi'ites probably want to form a totalitarian theocracy along the lines of the one in Iran. Of course they don't like us.

[MEG33]

I just click on Ragtime Cowgirl's posts to combat the gloom and doom.She always has the good news from Iraq,too!

[huck von finn]

All I know is, this thing is taking a lot longer than anyone expected.

[JoeSchem]

This flag knocking-down business and demand for compensation reminds me of the stories out of Afghanistan about farmers demanding compensation for goats that US helicopters allegedly blew off the sides of cliffs. It got so we couldn't land a helicopter at a village without angry farmers demanding compensation for goats blown off the nearby hills.

[MattAMiller]

All I know is, this thing is taking a lot longer than anyone expected.

It's not taking longer than I expected.

[huck von finn]

goats that US helicopters allegedly blew off the sides of cliffs.

HA! I never heard about that one! !!!!

[okie01]

"All I know is, this thing is taking a lot longer than anyone expected."

Horse hockey. The administration has, from the start, been perfectly clear that the Iraq project, along with the War on Terrorism, would take "years".

If you believe otherwise, you haven't been paying attention.

[toomuchcoffee]

The flag wasn't being removed by the chopper. It got caught in the rotor downwash. Whining crybabies, we should have pounded the crap out of them from the get-go. Iraq is a boil on the butt of civilization, but at least it's a lot less of a loose cannon now. I am sick to death of them and wish they would just go away. And take Iran, Libya and the rest of the 13th century with them.

[ClearBlueSky]

We keep SAYING there are differences, treating them as if there ARE differences, but it is all one Islam. That which unites them is older and stronger than that which makes them individuals. Islam requires subjugation of the self- and they are all one in all the ways that we refuse to face.
- Everything I need to know about Islam I learned on 9-11.

[BluH2o]

Consider the source ... Reuters! Just more liberal leftist drivel ...

[freedumb2003]

US losing hearts and minds of Baghdad Shi'ites

Hell, these Islamifacists lost their minds long ago -- the US had nothing to do with it.

[AntiGuv]

It's actually going somewhat quicker than I expected, but I agree it's going much longer than most claimed to expect prior the war..

[squidly]

All I know is, this thing is taking a lot longer than anyone expected.

If you and I had discussed it before the war, I'd have told you that we'd be there at least five years. I didn't need Franks or Bush to tell me that. Anybody who thought we'd have been gone already didn't think about it very hard, jmo.

[MEG33]

It's not taking longer than I expected...We are still having gun fights in Afghanistan.How on earth could anyone know what to expect?I expected poison gas to be used but I'm thrilled I was wrong!

I didn't expect one gigantic ammo dump called Iraq!Instead of a chicken in every pot,RPGs in every home,school and mosque.

[EvilOverlord]

The administration has, from the start, been perfectly clear that the Iraq project, along with the War on Terrorism, would take "years".

What I remember is that the administration was very vague about how long the US would stay in Iraq. The Iraqis were screaming at the time that if the US didn't turn the country over to them within weeks of the end of the war, that they would then turn on the Americans.

Of course, anyone with any sense knew that the occupation would likely take years, and that turning the country over to the Iraqis would not be a very smart thing to do if we want to avoid warlord-take-all terrorist infested chaos. See Afghanistan as an example (although that place WILL get better over time if the central government stays in power an the US continues to help).