Posted on 01/27/2007 4:08:59 PM PST by jmc1969
DEATH SQUAD leaders have fled Baghdad to evade capture or killing by American and Iraqi forces before the start of the troop “surge” and security crackdown in the capital.
A former senior Iraqi minister said most of the leaders loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr, the radical anti-American cleric, had gone into hiding in Iran.
Among those said to have fled is Abu Deraa, the Shi’ite militia leader whose appetite for sectarian savagery has been compared to that of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, who was killed last year.
The former minister, who did not want to be named for security reasons, backed Sunni MPs’ claims that Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, had encouraged their flight. He alleged that weapons belonging to Sadr’s Mahdi Army had been hidden inside the Iraqi interior ministry to prevent confiscation.
Maliki said last week: “I know that senior criminals have left Baghdad, others have left the country. This is good — this shows that our message is being taken seriously.”
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
The soldiers aren't even there yet and they've gone into hiding? Nice. This is even better than when we rolled into Iraq and the resistance faded away, like cockroahces scatter when a light is turned on.
Go ahead and run, you'll probably die tired.
We need to follow them into Iran and kill them.
If they're out of the fight due to fear, the only concern is that they never come back. Let them stay with their Iranian terror masters and run up their tab.
Too bad we didn't have a few welcome-parties waiting for them at the border. As usual, day-late/dollar-short planning.
"Last in, First Out"
Agreed. We SHOULD chase them and KILL them.
Such mighty warriors are the terrorists...
...when the're shooting bound prisoners, or blowing up women and children in marketplaces.
Pelosi, et al … please note: The Presidents new plan is working already, and the troops are not even on the way!
If they come back unhindered this isn't surprising nor is it news. If the thugs return, the surge is simply delaying the inevitable.
They bravely ran away!
Who is running this war? Why did we not kill them before we announced our "new" plan? And how for Gods sake can we report them fleeing instead of dead?
They'll wait for the surge to pass, for the Dems to pull funding, and then they'll be back.
You are missing the true answer. grandma Pelosi, civil war vet Murtha and all the cronies are the real reason the bad guys are leaving.
Cowards fear the resolute.
You do know, the point of fighting a war isn't to be brave--it's to win. If retreat makes sense strategically, a good tactician doesn't worry about whether it looks brave. The terrorists have nothing to gain by marching against disciplined troops.
It sure sounds as though al Maliki solved his problem of needing to show support for the effort to secure Baghdad but also not wanting to fight Shi'ite militias by warning the Shi'ite militia leaders to retreat until things in Baghdad cool off.
Ummm, ...OK.
It was a Monty Python reference.
Seems like the chieftains don't have much fight in them unless it is sending out suicidal car bombers or killing unarmed citizens.
Much like the Democrats in this Country, they do all they can to destroy their country. You hear a lot of bolstering from them but they too cut and run when the going gets a little rough.
Democrats and Terror Chieftains are weak kneed, cut and run cowards with yellow streaks a yard wide up their backs.
Good post, jerry! I'm probably overdoing it on the pings, but I think this is important.
I just wonder if not now, when will Iran be the OK Corral.
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