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Iraq
Pentagon to Confront Moqtada
2003-10-16
Iraq’s U.S.-led authorities are preparing for a showdown with a militant Shiite Muslim cleric whose illegal militia has fought recent gunbattles with both American troops and moderate Shiites, Pentagon officials said. The preferred options include arresting Moqtada al-Sadr, whom American officials view as a possible threat to the U.S.-led military coalition occupying Iraq. However, the Americans also want to avoid touching off rioting or other violence by moving against the cleric.
Let the Iraqi cops arrest him and dismember him.
The 22 30-year-old cleric lies about his age exhorts his followers with fiery anti-American sermons but so far has stopped short of calling for attacks on U.S. military forces. His militia openly defies the U.S.-led administration’s bans on private armies and people carrying unlicensed guns. Al-Sadr’s followers have engaged in deadly shootouts with other Shiite groups and American troops in the past two weeks, most recently in the holy city of Karbala south of Baghdad on Tuesday.
Three good reasons to jug him now.
On the other hand, he got his butt kicked and came out looking foolish, so maybe we should wait a week...
U.S. officials believe al-Sadr’s actions require a response. What that response will be will be determined over the next few days.
There are enough martyrs in the Shiite pantheon...
The official suggested other Shiite groups or Iraqi security forces could also deal with al-Sadr on their own.
Best idea is to let the Iraqi security forces do it in da name of da law. We’d provide them advice, GPS coordinates and crew-served weapons, of course.
Such unusually strong comments from Pentagon officials could suggest some imminent U.S.-backed move, or perhaps an attempt by American officials to get al-Sadr to back down without a fight. Arresting or moving against al-Sadr could spark unrest among his followers, many of whom are young, unemployed, illiterate, superstitious, have bad breath and armed. But U.S. military and coalition officials are finding it harder to ignore al-Sadr’s increasingly open challenges to the American occupation of the country and to Iraqis who cooperate with it. Last Friday, al-Sadr declared he had formed his own government to rule Iraq and called on his followers to peacefully protest until that government was recognized. The U.S.-led coalition has arrested other self-declared rulers of parts of Iraq. Armed al-Sadr supporters staged demonstrations Wednesday in Najaf as armed followers of more moderate Shiite clerics looked on. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, al-Sadr said U.S. forces should announce a timetable for a quick withdrawal from Iraq. ``Whoever cooperates with the occupation forces is not a Shiite,’’ he said. ``Indeed, they are not Muslims.’’
The "i" word should follow shortly.
Iraq’s U.S.-appointed interior minister went on a coalition broadcast inside the country on Tuesday to denounce al-Sadr as ``a common criminal and a disgrace to his country and his religion.’’
Disgrace to his country yes, but to his religion? He seems sorta middle of the fairway there.
Al-Sadr appears to draw his followers mainly from stupid young and lazy easily misled poverty-stricken eye rolling Shiites in places like Sadr City, a slum-ridden section of Baghdad named after the cleric’s father, who was shot to death during Saddam’s rule.
So al-Sadr’s an ingrate as well.

Best solution would be for the Iraqi cops to handle the situation under the aegis of the interior ministry, while the U.S. piously announces that we're leaving it to them because they know more about it than we do — the while providing the target coordinates, of course. Move in response to an incident like this past week, and kill him accidentally. Best solution is to have him knocked off by a stray bullet fired by one of his own supporters — some of the ex-mukhabarat guys we've hired could set that up. Sends the message that we respect the Iraqis' religious feelings and we'll go out of our way not to offend their delicate little sensibilities, and it sends the other message not to screw with the new gummint.
Posted by:Steve White

#8  How about somebody caves in his skull with a big friggin' rock on a pitch black Iraqi night. You could blame a jealous husband.
Posted by: tu3031   2003-10-16 5:06:55 PM  

#7  Best solution would be for the Iraqi cops to handle the situation under the aegis of the interior ministry, while the U.S. piously announces that we're leaving it to them because they know more about it than we do — the while providing the target coordinates, of course.

I'm thinking more along the lines of a covert operation, like a Predator-fired Hellfire missile under cover of a pitch-black Iraqi night...
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2003-10-16 3:23:14 PM  

#6  He's wearing a black turban. Pure bullshit, in my opinion.
Posted by: mojo   2003-10-16 11:52:35 AM  

#5  Does Sadr really lie about his age? So he can be a Boy Wonder?

I tell you folks, this quality reporting is why I come to Rantburg! Can't get this stuff from CNN...
Posted by: Seafarious   2003-10-16 10:50:00 AM  

#4  Wow!I, shoucked.
Steveyboy had a coherent,reasonable response.

What happen.Stevey?
Did your Drs.finally get your meds figured out?
Posted by: Raptor   2003-10-16 8:44:27 AM  

#3  stevestradamus


Do you know the color of his turban? Black as
used by the descendents of Muhammad or white as
used by the other mullahs? For the Shia this
makes a lot of difference.


But I agree it would be nice if he had a work accident. Korans explode at times.

Posted by: JFM   2003-10-16 6:52:37 AM  

#2  Sadr has two main problems...too young and not a well learned religious scholar. But he will accelarate his studies and become a fully fledged Ayatollah in less than five year and he will wear a fake white beard in the process. Then he will be a real menace. And there will not be America to stop him.If Saddam had not killed his dad we would be in a mess now in Iraq. Coz the old man had more following than all other Ayatollahs in Iraq. Plus he hated America.
Posted by: stevestradamus   2003-10-16 5:39:04 AM  

#1  And he needs to be stopped NOW before he becomes the Khomeini of Iraq
Posted by: Not Mike Moore   2003-10-16 2:30:36 AM  

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