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| Iraq |
| U.S. forces release Iraqi cleric's aide |
| 2006-10-19 |
| The U.S. military on Wednesday released a senior aide to a pro-government Shi'ite cleric and militia leader after the Iraqi government requested he be freed, the U.S. military and the Iraqi government said on Wednesday. Sheikh Mazin al-Saedi, an aide to radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, had been detained by U.S. military forces during a raid on his Baghdad house on Tuesday along with four men. "He has been released at the request of the government of Iraq," Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Garver, a spokesman for the U.S. military, told Reuters. U.S. commanders and officials have been demanding that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki rein in militias and their networks, blamed for some of the worst sectarian violence gripping Iraq. Garver said Saedi had been detained in security operations U.S. forces are conducting in Baghdad. He would not say if Saedi, who heads Sadr's office in the Baghdad neighbourhood of Shula, had been detained on suspicion of any particular crime. "At this point we are not making more comments," he said. "The two governments have been discussing the issue." In background briefings and in private conversations, U.S. commanders and U.S. government officials have expressed growing frustration at Maliki's inaction against militias. Maliki, a Shi'ite, has pledged to deal with militias but disbanding them could put him in a precarious situation because they are tied to political parties in his coalition. Sadr, who heads the Mehdi Army militia that has launched two uprisings against U.S. forces, controls a large bloc of seats in parliament, which makes Maliki dependent on Sadr's support. News of Saedi's release came as Maliki was in the holy city of Najaf meeting Sadr and other Shi'ite religious leaders. Asked about the arrest of Saedi and his later release by the Americans, Maliki was vague in his answers. "We are trying to find political solutions for all crises and that will terminate all detentions and all tension so that things go back to normal," he told a news conference, standing with Sadr. In an operation codenamed "Together Forward," U.S.-led forces have conducted a series of sweeps in several Baghdad neighbourhoods, but have so far not entered Sadr City, a sprawling suburb that is the powerbase of Sadr and his militias. In an interview with an American newspaper at the weekend, Maliki said he was opposed to launching sweeps in Sadr City. "We have told the Americans that we don't mind targeting a Mehdi Army cell inside Sadr City. But the way the multinational forces are thinking of confronting this issue will destroy an entire neighborhood," he told the USA Today. Pretty clear, no? |
| Posted by:.com |
| #18 I would withdraw any security provided to one of these asshat politicians doing us a disfavor. "You're on your own, and by the way, we let it be known your paths of travel and residences" might make some decide to play teamball more |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-10-19 21:19 |
| #17 They should have released his body, one piece at a time. |
| Posted by: Icerigger 2006-10-19 21:13 |
| #16 Perhaps Maliki would like us to arm the rump Sunni federation state? STFU or sniper rifles are distributed and we withdraw from the Sunni section |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-10-19 20:43 |
| #15 Peace through overwhelming dominance and ass kicking. Mash tater and all affiliated tots. Maliki is a stooge puppet with tater at the controls. |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-10-19 20:38 |
| #14 Remoteman, beam me aboard, I said nutin' about leafing. Gotit |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-10-19 20:33 |
| #13 Are you assholes trying to lose this fucking war now? So what if the insurgents are unhappy that he was arrested? Is there something I'm missing here? These idiots want to fight among themselves more than they want freedom. Time to drop the big one and come home victorious. |
| Posted by: Cleretle Chinter9270 2006-10-19 17:57 |
| #12 Muslims, esp Arab muslims, are not our friends. They sometimes find us temporarily useful idiots to achieve some goal. Without this realization drilled into everyone's head who deals in any way with muslims, there will only be disappointment and disillusion. |
| Posted by: ed 2006-10-19 17:30 |
| #11 It's time to ask them to ask us to leave. |
| Posted by: Perfesser 2006-10-19 14:33 |
| #10 PM Maliki - either you do your part in dismantling the Shia militias, or the US will pull out, back off, and level your entire little sh$$hole country to bare rock. Your choice. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2006-10-19 14:29 |
| #9 And how would our leaving change any of that Captain America? It would only make it 100 times worse. |
| Posted by: remoteman 2006-10-19 14:00 |
| #8 But the way the multinational forces are thinking of confronting this issue will destroy an entire neighborhood What if we just went ahead and did it anyway? The world press already insists that we've snuffed hundreds of thousands of these people. |
| Posted by: eLarson 2006-10-19 13:50 |
| #7 lotp, think sadr, think milita, think booming innocent people, think floating innocent peoples' bodies in river....k? |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-10-19 12:16 |
| #6 Beep... Beeep... Beeeeep... |
| Posted by: mojo 2006-10-19 10:44 |
| #5 lotp, it may be the 10 proverbial righteous (decent) people... but right you are. We are in Iraq in the right place where we need to be. Of course, as I were saying for years, Tater should have been titzupped years ago, at the beginning when he just started expanding his Tots membership. That was such a fuckup error of nearly biblixal proportions. Sheer idiocy/incompetence. |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2006-10-19 10:18 |
| #4 We're there for us, and for the decent common people there. Not for the politicos jostling for power and ego. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-10-19 07:20 |
| #3 No, I don't think so. I'm rapidly beginning to think it's time to get out of Iraq. We've given these people a chance to get something done. They're not doing it. Maliki, by this act, has clearly shown he's not helping. It's like Vietnam--if the Iraqis aren't willing to help, no amount of American assistance can keep them upright. Maliki could be our Ngo Dinh Diem in Iraq and if that's the case, it's time to bail. |
| Posted by: mac 2006-10-19 07:17 |
| #2 Nekkid pics? |
| Posted by: gorb 2006-10-19 04:04 |
| #1 Time to kick the fucking door down |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-10-19 01:19 |