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| Iraq |
| Basra still faces militia threat: Brit general |
| 2008-07-15 |
| BAGHDAD - Iraq's main southern city of Basra remains under threat from militias despite a March offensive against them that killed hundreds of people, the top British commander in Iraq said on Monday. "There is still danger from extremists in Basra," Major General Barney White-Spunner told reporters at a US military base near Baghdad airport. The British general said the militias' grip on Iraq's second city was "finished" but did not rule out the possibility of them returning. "There are still violent extremists intent on coming back... there is some danger from them. But we are putting in place a structure, so when they do try to come back they will get arrested," the general told reporters. He said the British military and Iraqi forces were setting up a "counter-terrorist structure" in a bid to thwart any future attempt by militiamen to gain ground in the region. White-Spunner said the March military assault had established security in the city and surrounding region following the killing and detention of hundreds of militiamen. Iraqi forces have "reclaimed Basra. Normalcy is returning... People feel this security is here to stay. Iraqi forces are very popular. There is confidence in the Iraqi forces," he said. The British military handed over security responsibility for Basra to Iraqi forces in December but within three months the situation in the oil-rich province deteriorated and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered an assault to retake control of the region. White-Spunner insisted nonetheless that the decision to transfer security responsibility in Basra to Iraqi forces was the right one. "It was the right decision. We always knew it (Basra) had to have an Iraqi solution. The approach was to have Iraqis in the lead," he said. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #2 REMINDER > Despite its HYPERPOWER GLOBAL POTENCY, US-led/specific CONTROL-DOMIN of desired future OWG-NWO is NOT YET ASSURED, while PRESENTLY LOSING, SIMIL OWG-MINDED, RADICAL ISLAM IS NOT YET ABSOL OR THOROUGHLY DEFEATED, EVEN WITHIN IRAQ. DESPITE RHETORIC TO THE CONTRARY, IMB NO SIDE OR CAMP, ANY AND ALL, DESIRES "STALEMATE" + COLD WAR-STYLE "MUTUAL COEXISTENCE". |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-07-15 19:15 |
| #1 "Still violent extremists intent on coming back" > Agreement to Point. 2008-2012 POTUS Period > NO US-IRAN WAR + PAN-ISLAMIST NUCLEARIZATION-STRATWEAPONZN = Islamist Priority during this phase is MORE DIPLOMACY + PUBLIC RELATIONS, ETC. THAN VIOLENCE. IRAN + even MANY MAJOR MILITANT-TERR GROUPS would prefer to keep a LOW-PROFILE AMAP ALAP, even though Local-Regional Mil-TerrOPs will likely contin to take place. ISLAMIST PROB DURING NUCLEARIZATION > "INDEPENDENT" MIL-TERR ACTION(S) WHICH INDUCES/RESULTS IN A RETALIAT MAJOR ATTACK AGZ IRAN + NUCDEVFACS [includ Paki] BY THE US ANDOR ISRAEL. Recall similarities as per POST-1972 XMAS BOMBING, US-NVN TREATY, + WATERGATE-FOCUSED NIXON ADMIN > NVN kept a low, Diplo-Correct international profile, whilst "IN-PLACE" NVA-VC Units [by Treaty] already inside South Vietnam conducted random limited attacks while also building up for future new offensives [1975 Fall of Saigon]. RADICAL ISLAM ISN'T DONE WID IRAQ JUST YET. HOPEFULLY THE IGA WILL USE THIS LULL WISELY TO PREPARE FOR FUTURE NEW ISLAMIST RESPONSES WHICH THEY KNOW WILL COME. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-07-15 19:07 |