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TechnoratiIraqi government forces, with US and British support, have moved into the Mehdi Army stronghold in Basra and have surrounded its main bastion in Baghdad as the Shia militia's leader Muqtada al-Sadr threatened "open war". 
The Iraqi army, supported by US air strikes and British artillery, was able to advance into Basra against little resistance while there is still heavy fighting around Sadr City, a vast impoverished quarter of Baghdad in which some two million people are living.
"I'm giving the last warning and the last word to the Iraqi government," said Mr Sadr. "Either it comes to its senses and takes the path of peace ... or it will be [seen as] the same as the previous government [of Saddam Hussein]."
The Sadrists see the attack on them as orchestrated by the Badr Organisation, the powerful Shia militia which is allied to the government and many of whose men have joined the Iraqi army and security services. "If they don't come to their senses and curb the infiltrated militias, we will declare an open war until liberation," Mr Sadr said.
Mr Sadr has tried for the past four years to avoid an open military confrontation with Iraqi government forces when backed by United States firepower.
In Basra, the Mehdi Army has been able to hold off the Iraqi army in gun battles but has then retreated. But there is no sign so far of the militia being eliminated and it could probably launch devastating counter attacks in the slum districts where its supporters live.
Mr Sadr called a six-month ceasefire last August, renewed it in February and called his militiamen off the streets when they seemed to be winning during fighting at the end of March.
Many of his militiamen are impatient to renew their battle with the Iraqi army and the Americans. In Sadr City, one Mehdi Army commander said on Saturday night that he was "thrilled" by Mr Sadr's threat to go back to war. "We will wait until tomorrow to see the response of the government," he said. "Otherwise they will see black days like they have never seen before in their life."
The Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, sounds confident that he can win a confrontation with the Sadrists since he is backed by the US, the main Sunni party and the Kurds, all of whom have doubted his leadership in the past. Iran has also openly supported his offensive in Basra while criticising the American air assault on Sadr City.
In the past, Mr Maliki has often been over-confident of his ability to act without American military support. He became prime minister thanks to Mr Sadr's support but this was withdrawn when Mr Maliki failed to set a timetable for an American withdrawal.
The US has long encouraged the Iraqi government to crush the Sadrists but seems to have been caught by surprise by current events in which the US finds itself fighting a war on two fronts: one against the Sunni Arabs, which it has waged since 2003, and now a second, which is just beginning, against the Shia.
© 2008 The Independent
14 Comments so far
Show AllWait a minute___hold on here. There is something wrong with this picture. ___ Five long years ago, President Bush told us the war was over, the mission was accomplished. I saw him, wearing a Navy pilots leather flight jacket, say, "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" __ and U.S. Presidents do not tell lies.___ Gosh dang, does anyone think Bush is stupid?
Iran will not invade Iraq no matter what.
These wars are bleeding the USA military and economy to Death... (bin Laden's plan all along).
If actions were proof it is almost like Bush and Cheney are taking orders from bin Laden who our Intel knows there is no real plan to find him if he still is alive. I guess that proves that for whatever his intentions... Bush is Osama's Stooge.
This clever gambit has absolutely nothing to do with Bush, Rice & Co. They are at best mindless puppets, at worst clueless victims like the rest of us.
The game plan is to goad Al Sadr into open war, and then to draw out Iran, who will come to the aid of its allies.
From there the yellow journalism as practiced by our venal MSM will trumpet some made-up atrocities by Iran, Congressional Republicans will beat their chest and call for massive retaliation, and the bombing of Iran will commence.
Control of Middle East hydrocarbons must be had any any price. If millions of people have to die to achieve that goal, "So?"
As for Condo. Rice's words, clearly referring to Muqtada al-Sadr as a coward, there's nothing surprising about this. She's been Western imperialists', ... slave for a long time already and she's clearly not ready to cease making a slave of herself for predators of humanity.
The same, en masse, if not more so, applies with Colin Powell. They're both slaves and gleeful about this too.
" canuckchuck April 21st, 2008 7:47 pm
The Kurds only care about their own area, and will not become involved. The Iranians will back both sides against the USA. The Sunni will happliy fight any Shia, but will only back the government so far as their is somehting in it for them."
Kurds won't help or get involved against al-Sadr's forces, you say? You may be in for quite a surprise, potentially.
Quote: "Massoud Barzani, who heads the Kurdish self-ruled northern region of Iraq, has offered Kurdish troops to help battle Mahdi Army fighters."
The puppet Iraqi govt VP, an Arab Iraqi Sunni, has purportedly also spoken much like Barzani did; although this doesn't necessarily mean that he has consulted with other Arab Sunni members of the puppet Iraqi govt, such as the Sunni Muslim Scholars Association, f.e., so perhaps they'll correctly NOT support him and then find themselves someone fit to serve as VP.
Quote: "Tariq al-Hashemi, the Sunni Arab vice-president, has signed off on a statement by Jalal Talabani, the country's Kurdish president, and Adil Abdul-Mahdi, the Shia vice-president, that expressed support for al-Maliki's Basra crackdown.
The statement was significant as al-Hashemi has been one of al-Maliki's most bitter critics."
The above quotes are from the following article.
"UPDATED ON:
SUNDAY, APRIL 20, 2008
15:25 MECCA TIME, 12:25 GMT
Sadr threatens war as Rice visits"
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/8EF4F4FD-64D6-4B8C-8984-287C034AA...
That article does not quote her words inferring that Muqtada al-Sadr is a coward, btw.
And, so, it seems everyone, or nearly everyone is backing the crackdown in Basra, and this includes Iran; only Iran wanted the U.S. OUT of the crackdown, for Iran supports, variably I suppose, the three Shia parties or groups.
Well, the Mahdi Army, and according to Wikipedia, has a strength of around 60,000, albeit I don't know if that number is still valid, today. If the number's decreased, then I suppose it's still 50,000 or more; and reporters say that this is the largest or strongest militia in Iraq.
So, they have means to considerably fight with, but maybe an AlJazeera.net correspondant will turn out right and Muqtada al-Sadr will have ended up [bluffing], or much, anyway. It's stated in the above AlJ. article.
Our highest statesman...er...statesperson...Miss Rice that is, has told Sadr to piss off, in so many words, or as her mentor Bushido Banzai would have it: Bring 'em on! Well, he indeed might, which would be too bad for our troops. But then again, someone must speak for the Iraqi people -- dayem! what a concept! How can anyone of any morality and intelligence have anything other than contempt for those WE ALLOW to govern us, to slaughter thousands in a desert 8000 miles away and to submit our young soldiers to carnage?
The Kurds only care about their own area, and will not become involved. The Iranians will back both sides against the USA. The Sunni will happliy fight any Shia, but will only back the government so far as their is somehting in it for them.
It is basically the USA against IRAN through Iraqi proxies.
The most senior US diplomat said yesterday of al-Sadr: I know he's sitting in Iran. I guess it's all-out war for anybody but him.
Besides being insulting and taunting, this is NOT acceptable from a diplomat. Besides, isn't Bush sitting at home, but gleefully sends Americans to their death in Iraq?
One further point: I was unable to find this statement from Ms Rice in the NYT or Washington Post or some other majors, but you will find it in many smaller newspapers. Fair and Honest Reporting at work!
Skank b*tch.
The most senior US diplomat said yesterday of al-Sadr: I know he's sitting in Iran. I guess it's all-out war for anybody but him.
Besides being insulting and a red flag, this is NOT acceptable from a diplomat. Besides, isn't Bush sitting at home, but gleefully sends Americans to their death in Iraq?
One further point: I was unable to find this statement from Ms Rice in any the NYT or Washington Post, but you will find it in many smaller newspapers. Fair and Honest reporting at work!
Skank b*tch.
Connie Rice slunk into Baghdad to fan the fires of war.
Bush is insane. .He wants Armageddon to cover up his guilt.
IMPEACH both BUSH and CHENEY...........TODAY !!!!!!!!!!!
James--they are thrilled about it. Condi basically said "Bring it on" to Sadr today by calling him out as a "coward." Look out, the shit is about to hit the fan. More chaos is what they want.
America has finally divided the People in Iraq into groups that they can now control. It looks like the end for some in Iraq. A small victory for the empire but more baggage for it to support and thus the weaker the empire becomes.
Hoa binh
I wonder how many neo-cons will dare spout Bush's Iraq talking points on the effectiveness of the surge after "all out war is declared?"
-James
www.thepoliticus.org
cheney, halliburton, exxon-mobil and the rest just sit back with their feet up on their desks smiling as this occupation and their bank accounts keep increasing.
Take a look at who Michael Moore endorsed today:
http://www.michaelmoore.com/