Apr 13 2008
Iraq Winning War In Mahdi Army
The concocted myth by the SurrenderMedia that the Iraqi crackdown on the Shiia Mahdi Army, headed by Moqtada al-Sadr, was a failure has now been exposed. And far from being a failure this could be the Iraq wars version of the Battle of The Bulge in WW II, where the last gasp of the dying Nazi regime was made before their annihilation, and from which decades of peace took over for war torn Europe that had seen wars for centuries. While not on the same scale as WW II and Europe, the fight against the Mahdi Army probably represents the last viable opposition to the new democratic Iraq, ally to America.
Those who thought the fighting had begun don’t understand how wars are fought. You don’t rush to react, you contain and plan for maximum effect. In this ‘instant satisfaction’ world we live in the idea of actual planning and doing detailed analysis over many days seems to have become a lost art form. Well, not when lives are at stake. So while some may be surprised, many of us are glad to see the battle against the Mahdi Army is finally hitting its stride:
Three weeks after the Iraqi government initiated Operation Knights Assault in Basrah, US and Iraqi forces have squared off against the Mahdi Army daily in the Shia slums of Sadr City. Additional US and Iraqi forces have moved into northeastern Baghdad to prepare for a possible major engagement against the Mahdi Army.
While Muqtada al Sadr, the leader of the Mahdi Army and the Sadrist political movement, called for his fighters to pull off the streets on March 30, the Mahdi Army has continued to attack US and Iraqi forces in Sadr City and northeastern Baghdad.
…
US and Iraqi forces have begun to shape the battlefield in Sadr City by cordoning off the main entry and exit points, building new check posts, instituting a vehicle ban, conducting a series patrols and humanitarian missions, carrying out targeted raids against Mahdi Army and Special Groups leaders, and providing a blanket of aerial coverage from unmanned aerial vehicles and helicopters from US Army air weapons teams.
…
Supporters of Sadr have indicated the offensive so far is eroding the Mahdi Army’s power base. US and Iraqi troops have been operating largely on the edges of Sadr City, but the Sadrists are concerned the forces will push into the heart of the district. “Sadrist officials … had received orders from their headquarters in Najaf to avoid confrontations with Iraqi and US forces unless the Americans try to move deep into Sadr City,” The Associated Press reported.
The Sadrists are also concerned the prolonged offensive will weaken the party and the Mahdi Army. “The officials said the Sadrist leadership was concerned that the ongoing clashes were turning into a war of attrition that was weakening the movement and undermining support within its Shiite power base,” the AP reported.
When Sadrists are concerned Sadr is destroying the movement then all the hand-wringing in DC and NYC news rooms means nothing. Absolutely nothing. Sadr City may be heart of the Mahdi Army. My guess is this is the case given the amount of effort being put into stamping out the last big threat to Maliki’s government and this fall’s elections. Elections the Sadrists can only participate in if they abandon the Mahdi Army:
Iraq’s cabinet has agreed on a draft of a law governing provincial elections to be held later this year and will now submit it for approval to parliament, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said on Sunday.
…
Dabbagh repeated government threats that groups with armed militia would be barred from standing in the poll, a measure that followers of Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr say has been unfairly aimed against them.
Oh, life is so unfair isn’t it? And why is the Mahdi Army and their Sadrist puppet masters losing support? They act and kill like al-Qaeda butchers, that’s why:
Confessions from Shiite militiamen led Saturday to the discovery of 15 more bodies dumped in mass graves south of Baghdad, officials said — the second such find this week.
Women shrouded in black and holding family photos rushed to the muddy field in Mahmoudiya in hopes of finding missing loved ones as new information emerges on past sectarian bloodletting.
The grisly discovery came two days after the Iraqi troops found the remains of 30 people believed to have been killed more than a year ago buried in three abandoned houses elsewhere in the area.
It is hard to claim the moral high ground when you are slaughtering your Arab Muslim neighbors. Especially when linked to the Persian regime in Tehran known for its ethnic cleansing against Arabs. Is anyone outside the brain-dead SurrenderMedia news rooms surprised that a country of Arab Muslims would oppose those who slaughter their own kind in league with their ancient enemies? And as the Mahdi Army is decimated more and more links to carnage and the Iranians is going to come out. Just check how the Sadrists/Mahdi are fairing in Basra:
Iraqi security forces detained on Sunday five aides to radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in the city of Basra, some 550 kilometres south of Baghdad, Sadrist sources said.
Hareth al-Azari, Shiite Sadrists, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that Iraqi security forces arrested five Sadrists in different areas in Basra.…
Meanwhile, Mohamed Howaidy, an Iraqi army personnel, told dpa that security forces were carrying out search operations for banned weapons in the districts of Hayaniya and Hussein.
He said that large numbers of weapons have been confiscated and scores of illegal militants have been detained.Earlier, Iraqi defence minister said that forces found an Iranian weapon cache and a number of explosives in Basra, the Iraqi al-Sabah newspaper said.
This is just the beginning of what could be weeks of similar stories tying Iranians to mass graves in Iraq. This is an excuse for the US to bomb Iran (though it is a worthy one). It is to remind Iraqi Shiites why they must rise up against Sadr and his Mahdi-Iranian puppets and support their own elected government. And Maliki has made it clear, he is going all the way on this one:
Iraqi forces will battle militiamen in Sadr City relentlessly until the sprawling Shiite district of east Baghdad has been cleared of gunmen, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh vowed on Sunday.
“We will continue until we secure Sadr City. We will not come out, we will not give up until the people of Sadr City have a normal life,” Dabbagh told AFP.
“(The security forces) will do what they have to do to secure the area. I can’t tell you how many days or how many months but they will not come out until they have secured Sadr City.”
Raging battles between US and Iraqi forces and Mahdi Army militiamen loyal to radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr have killed around 80 people in the impoverished township since Sunday last week, and the army has warned the streets are littered with booby-traps laid by gunmen.
This is a fight to the end. In fact, Maliki is firm that failure is not an option, and those who fail to do their job for their country can go back on the unemployment lines:
The Iraqi government has dismissed about 1,300 soldiers and policemen who deserted or refused to fight during last month’s offensive against Shiite militias and criminal gangs in Basra, officials said Sunday.
Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said 921 police and soldiers were fired in Basra. They included 37 senior police officers ranging in rank from lieutenant colonel to brigadier general.
The others were dismissed in Kut, one of the Shiite cities where the fight had spread.
These are some of the best jobs in the country pay and prestige wise. And now those people who failed their oaths to their country are on the street. This is a fight Maliki is pulling all the stops out to win.
Thankfully the Surrendercrats and their SurrenderMedia allies have no opportunities or avenues to stop what will happen from happening. We are in, Maliki is in, and all Sadr and his Mahdi can do is die for the cause. And it seems the Mahdi have chosen to go down fighting, for whatever reason (my guess is they are protecting their Iranian puppet masters). Many inside the Mahdi movement want to see the Mad Mullahs take over Iraq, something most Iraqis would fight to the death to avoid. Arabs living under Persian rulers? Only some one like Sadr and his followers would find that appealing – for them. They would be the new top Arabs in that mix. And this is not hard for Iraqis to figure out (even though it seems impossible for western journalists and a lot of other liberals to grasp).
The Iraqis are winning the war with the Mahdis. And soon there will be no more serious threats to our new allies in the Middle East. You can see it happening already in the areas of security and oil production, signs that Iraq is making its debut into the free world of the 21st century. Once the Mahdi are gone the way of al-Qaeda the history books will take it from there.
AJ,
you may delete this: Typo? in paragraph that begins “This is just the beginning of what could be weeks of similar stories tying Iranians to mass graves in Iraq. This is an excuse for the US to bomb Iraq ”
in the bottom third of the post. I think you meant to say bomb IRAN, didn’t you?
Thanks Yippie21!
What Strata, a dishonest Bush agent, doesn’t want you to know is
how uneasy the Bushies are that it took Iran to broker the cease-fire between their two allies and it will take negotiation/concession with Iran to bring ultitmate security to an inevitably pro-Iranian Iraq.
Maliki’s militias -cum -government forces are, you see, also “linked
to the Persian regieme” winning the war.
The Iraq Study Group pointe out:
“The Badr Brigade is affiliated with the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), which is led by Abdul Aziz al-Hakim. The Badr Brigade has long-standing ties with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. Many Badr members have become integrated into the Iraqi police, and others play policing roles in southern Iraqi cities. While wearing the uniform of the security services, Badr fighters have targeted Sunni Arab civilians. Badr fighters have also clashed with the Mahdi Army, particularly in southern Iraq.”
This of course nullifies every ethical point Strata attempted to make above about Iran and the Mahdis. More elaboration here:
http://www.juancole.com/2008/04/iran-supported-al-maliki-against.html
Is that the same Iraq Study Group that recommended the “surge” strategy?
As always, Truthy’s timing is impeccable:
http://sweetness-light.com/archive/iraq-dismisses-1300-shiite-army-and-police
If you want to see some media indoctrination/propaganda, try watching Nickelodeon at 9pm when they have “Nick News” with Linda Ellerbee. That is the political indoctrination they are giving to our children … parents beware.
http://www.nick.com/all_nick/tv_supersites/nick_news/
Truth2, you suffer from a serious time warp problem.. Do you know so little of militant/jihad alliances? They constantly morph and change alliances on the spin of a dinar.
Iraq and Iran do, and will continue to engage. They are geographic neighbors, and this is necessary and appropriate. But Iran brokered the truce? If they did, they sure got the short end of the stick.
Maliki has not backed down. Iraq… not Iran or their Mahdi flunkie commanders… retains control over most Basra ‘hoods, the oil fields and shipping. Sadr calls off his million man march, and his rogue militia ignore his orders. Tribal leaders in the area are cooperating with Maliki and govt.
You see this as Basra needing Iran for security how?
Sadr then throws the fate of his Madhi creation to al Sistani. (might as well… they’re not listening to him anyway) Sistani sides with with Iraq govt INRE disarming the Mahdi militia. However he does not have the audacity to tell Sadr to disband something he never sanctioned as banding to begin with. Yep… more Iranian bennies there too (sarcasm).
You see Iraq being pro-Iranian? Then why, when Ahmadinejad visited Baghdad, was he not received with parades, joy, pomp and circumstance by denizens there? Why did the Iraq government refuse all the Iran aid and projects Ahmadinejad offered? And why did a disgusted Ahmadinejad cut his visit short? I can just feel the love…
And again you go back to a document published in Dec 2006. While the report’s historic perspective has validity, their “way forward” did not, and could not, take into account Iraq’s permanent govt and how events on the ground would change. That government was being elected and formed while they were interviewing all their “experts”. Not to mention the sheer chutzpah of these experts telling Iraq how to rule itself.
ISG was out of date the moment it hit the presses. And those who were friends and allies during the research period may not be friends and allies today. And tomorrow, those friends and allies are likely to morph yet again.
So try to stay current, and learn to adjust your opinions with the changing times. Right now Iraq’s got the leg up. But there’s no fat lady singing on stage yet INRE this battle, or on Iraq’s future success or failure.
Truthtard is a troll, he has no idea what he is talking about and tosses nonsense out there just to get people to pay attention to him. Ignore him. Here is also a little hint: Whenever you see a nickname or a blog name or a title that includes the word “truth”, it is best to assume that what you are going to get is the exact opposite. If it really was the truth, people could recognize it as such for themselves and they wouldn’t need to have it included in the name of it to tell them so.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0303/p01s04-wome.html
Wrong on all essentials, Mata. Maliki’s core militia supporters have pledged to defend Iran, “pomp and circumstance” greeted
the Iranian president as opposed to American officials’ secret impromptu escapes, and there have already been deals signed by both governments. Naturally , Ahmadinejidad could not parade himself in the Sunni sections of Iraq; then again, neither can
Bush.
Concur, crosspatch. I’m learning to skip to the bottom of a post and see who wrote it first – if it’s truthtard’s or norm’s, I know to just skip past it without wasting any more time.
Mata
As long as you are keeping tabs,
The main Sunni party the Iraqi Accord Front, and the Sadrists, have been boycotting the government for a year. Real functional democracy you’ve got there.
Baghdad – The head of a Sunni-led political party said Sunday that talks on reshaping the Iraqi government were progressing, but no agreements had been reached. Saleh al-Motlaq, head of the Iraqi Front for National Dialogue, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that the talks were continuing, but most political parties and parliamentary blocks felt that the government was only pursuing its own interests.
Strata considers it a victory that Maliki had to put 1300 soldiers
on the unemployment lines. Gee, last time something like that happened, some fool disbanded the Iraqi Army and the Sunni insurgency is still goin’ strong five years later.
It’s talking to itself.
“It’s talking to itself”… LOL. Good one, VinceP. And I do catch the drift on the mental delete you have all gotten used to. But I’ll bite one more time.
Truth2, of course the central govt there is still dysfunctional. I repeat, it’s only 22 months old. Try not to make me repeat this another time.
Their budget execution is laden with red tape from old Saddam regime rules and new Iraq Assembly legislation. Most experience Saddam regime govt budget people bolted the country. The new kids on the block are on a steep learning curve. They seem to be able to allocate funds, but getting them allocated has been bogged down in the disorder.
This is all part of why they need more time to get their act down. Not easy creating an entire nat’l govt structure in such a short time – especially for those who have lived their lives under despotic rule. But obviously you believe they should have bureaucratic red tape down perfect, have a fully operational army, and perfect harmony in their Assembly in under two years.
And of course Sunni have been boycotting… off and on thru the whole 22 months. Seems every other week they get in a snit over something. Frankly, they’re lucky they have any representatives at all in the Assembly because the idiots whined and boycotted the elections of membership. But ya know, that’s their problem. Self imposed. I feel no sympathy. You don’t enter the game to play, you don’t play. Even so, the Kurd/Shia factions still reach out to them. Panic when they stop, and not before.
That’s also why the Sunnis are looking forward to the provincial elections. Unlike the previous elections, which were votes for parties and not individuals, the provincials are elections the Sunnis will be taking part in for known persons. They have learned their lesson about not participating.
Ya know, your reprinted news blurb sounds about the same as the US Congress and the bloc of DNC obstructionists.
i.e…..
The head of the [DNC] political party said Sunday that talks on reshaping the Iraqi [foreign policy] were progressing, but no agreements had been reached. [Nancy Pelosi] head of the [US House] told [MoveOn.Org] that the talks were continuing, but most [DNC Congress member] blocks felt that the [Bush WH] was only pursuing its own interests.
Uncanny, no?
Clarification above INRE budget execution. They can allocate, but having trouble actually “appropriating/spending” the allocations. Red tape, cumbersome law, too many signatures.
Mata you’ve engaged the borg!
I have a few observations:
Try not to make me repeat this another time.
Oh , but they will. In fact with time you will find that if you actually tried to determine how many different kinds of conversations you’ve had a with a Leftist over a given time frame, that you will come up with no more than 5.
In other words, you’ll see that you’re basically engaging in the same 5 boring conservatitions with every Leftist you ever talk to. They are incapable of growing , or coming up with ideas or anythign constructive. It’s all a big game of indictments and slander. And it never ends.
BTW, Truth… the “pomp and Circumstance” of Ahmadinejad’s visit was limited to being met at the airport by two officials, whisked thru cleared, vacant streets (no adoring fans, bubba… just protestors) to Talabani’s compound.
There he was met by Iraq diplomats and officials on a “red carpet” while a band played for them… no adoring crowds and fans. However the Sunni VP was late for that line up, and for a reception. Not too anxious to give the little s*#t the obligatory kisses on the check, no doubt.
The Iraqis citizens distrust and dislike the Iranian regime. If they fear anything, it’s that their Shia/Kurd leadership may demonstrate unwanted loyalty to Iran. They’ll learn they can vote those suckers out now, and the elected ones will learn they cannot go against the will of the electorate for long.
Got it out of my system now, VinceP. Bored enuf this eve to spar with the borg once… don’t expect to see me do it much in the future. LOL
Drives me nuts to see how uninformed most people are about the nature of the Middle East, intra-relationships, etal. Most times I just bite my tongue. But every once in awhile I have to let it fly.
Reading various blog commenters, and the realization hits hard. The “dumbing down of America” has truly enjoyed great success thru the public education system and media indoctrination for a few generations now. Glad to be approaching my golden years, such as they are.
The “dumbing down of America†has truly enjoyed great success thru the public education system and media indoctrination for a few generations now
I’ve noticed this too. I think that realization made me depressed for a while.
BTW: You ever read a book called “Power, Faith and Fantasy”