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| Iraq |
| Shiite militia takes over Iraqi city |
| 2006-10-20 |
| BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Shiite militia run by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr seized total control of the southern Iraqi city of Amarah on Friday in one of the boldest acts of defiance yet by one of the country's powerful, unofficial armies, witnesses and police said. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki dispatched an emergency security delegation that included the Minister of State for Security Affairs and top officials from the Interior and Defense ministries, Yassin Majid, the prime minister's media adviser, told The Associated Press. The Mahdi Army fighters stormed three main police stations Friday morning, planting explosives that flattened the buildings, residents said. About 800 black-clad militiamen with Kalashnikov rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers were patrolling city streets in commandeered police vehicles, eyewitnesses said. Other fighters had set up roadblocks on routes into the city and sound trucks circulated telling residents to stay indoors. Fighting broke out in Amara on Thursday after the head of police intelligence in the surrounding province, a member of the rival Shiite Badr Brigade militia, was killed by a roadside bomb, prompting his family to kidnap the teenage brother of the local head of the a-Madhi Army. The Mahdi Army seized several police stations and clamped a curfew on the city in retaliation. At least 15 people, including five militiamen, one policeman and two bystanders, have been killed in clashes since Friday, Dr. Zamil Shia, director of Amarah's department of health, said by telephone from Amarah. The events in the city highlight the threat of wider violence between rival Shiite factions, who have entrenched themselves among the majority Shiite population and are blamed for killings of rival Sunnis. Mahdi Army militiamen have long enjoyed a free rein in Amarah, the provincial capital of the southern province of Maysan. The militiamen often summon local government officials for meetings at their offices, and they roam the city with their weapons, manipulate the local police and set up checkpoints at will. Since British troops left Amarah in August, residents say the militia has been involved in a series of killings, including slayings of merchants suspected of selling alcohol and women alleged to have engaged in behavior deemed immoral by militiamen. |
| Posted by:Glenmore |
| #26 Tater reminds me of that enlarged prostate TV ad. The guy says I have a "going" problem. His doctor says: "No you have a growing problem." Tater is a growing problem and our problem is how to solve the going problem. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2006-10-20 21:45 |
| #25 If we trained them then they'll be fine.. shoot first, question later. |
| Posted by: Howard UK 2006-10-20 17:11 |
| #24 confident that they've (Iraqi security forces) responded as best as they can." Certainly he couldn't mean "as best as (they == The British) can"... could he? |
| Posted by: eLarson 2006-10-20 16:49 |
| #23 "Fighting broke out Thursday after Qassim al-Tamimi, the provincial head of police intelligence and a leading member of the rival Shiite Badr Brigade militia, was killed by a roadside bomb. In retaliation, his family kidnapped the teenage brother of the Mahdi Army commander in Amarah, Sheik Fadel al-Bahadli, to demand the hand-over of al-Tamimi's killers." Per fox news, Iraqi Army troops (not police) have moved in and taken back over. British military spokesman Maj. Charlie Burbridge said 600 Iraqi army soldiers had retaken control of the city, but not before the 25 gunmen and police were killed in violence that began Thursday night. The Iraqi army dispatched two companies to Amarah, a city of 750,000, from Basra, the south's largest city. "They've applied a solution and at the moment it's holding," Burbridge said. "At the moment, it's tense but calm," he said. Britain had 500 soldiers on standby if called for, Burbridge said, saying British military authorities were "confident that they've (Iraqi security forces) responded as best as they can." |
| Posted by: Oldspook 2006-10-20 14:29 |
| #22 Regarding the Iraqi police. I think some people have to step back and look at how the game is played. The Iraqi have enough police to play a zone defense. The bad guys don't have enough but they do have enough to gang up on one defender, making that defender look weak or forcing the Iraqi police to leave other areas undefended. What we need to do is use the US to supliment the Iraqi police in these scenerios and only these scenerios. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2006-10-20 14:26 |
| #21 lol, TW! If only we could insert you into Sadr City to hold a nice tea soiree for Muqtuy. That would solve everything, right boys? |
| Posted by: BA 2006-10-20 14:17 |
| #20 It's this darn new keyboard, Bobby. I've been having spelling problems ever since several months before I got it. ;-) |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-10-20 13:38 |
| #19 Steady, ET, I have read several positive stories about the Iraqi Army, but maybe not so many about the police. Let's wait until the whole story comes out. It has a better chance here than in the media. Lysdexia, TW? |
| Posted by: Bobby 2006-10-20 13:35 |
| #18 What happened to the great training that the Iraqi forces/police were supposed to be getting? If we trained them, they sure aren't learning. Time after time, the army/police aren't up to the task. Are we to believe that they're that inept? They managed to keep law and order before the invasion, with less training and worse equipment. The same tactics are being used now - terrorize the population, but the results are vastly different. We need to kill Sadr and throw maliki in the same dustbin that jaafari resides. New leadership is needed at the top. Or, we install a US led govt and proclaim iraq the 51st state, take the gloves off and obliterate any opposition. Whatever happened to "Infinite Justice?" We cowered when the muzlems got mad about that phrase and change the operation to a touchy feely "Enduring Freedom". We need to fight dirty, dirtier than the enemy. |
| Posted by: ET 2006-10-20 13:32 |
| #17 OTOH with rumors of a US backed coup Wait a minute -- I missed taht one! Details, please? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-10-20 13:25 |
| #16 If possible, cordon off the Amarah, release all women and children, detain all males of fighting age. Carpet bomb the city into total rubble without any hand-to-hand engagement and declare this the new policy for all further insurgencies. Sadr's oxygen license ran out years ago. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-10-20 13:07 |
| #15 Yeah I'll give Sadr a chance only if he comes on and sings a duet of "Im so Ronrey" with Kim Jong Il |
| Posted by: Oldspook 2006-10-20 12:41 |
| #14 Come on guys, let's just give Muqy Sadr one more chance. I can just feel that he'll see the light and stop the violence.... |
| Posted by: danking_70 2006-10-20 12:37 |
| #13 At this point al-Sadr has probably lost control of his 'movement' except within Sadr City (maybe not even there). If al-Sadr gets whacked now it is more likely to be from an ex-loyal Shiite who didn't get a big enough piece of the action than by a Baathist or Sunni Jihadist or coalition soldier. |
| Posted by: mhw 2006-10-20 12:19 |
| #12 This is posturing between the Iranian backed Shia and the non-Iranian backed Shia. Eventually the non-Iranian backed Shia will give the US clearance to whack Sard if this keeps up. This posturing is timed not so much by the US elections but as a response to Sunni/Al Queda attacks that have been increasing in sychronus with the US elections. Nothing to see here, and if the spooks and spies didn't see it coming they're not paying attention. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2006-10-20 12:08 |
| #11 reports indicate this started with mutual kidnappings, etc between Mahdi army and Badr Brigades, so Maliki might well be serious, as he can hardly afford to alienate SCIRI and the Badr Brigades. OTOH Muqty probably doesnt want to alienate Badr either, so maybe this is NOT the big "Muqty hits the mattresses" moment it looks like. Maybe it really is a local thing, by "rogue" or at least semi-rogue elements. OTOH with rumors of a US backed coup, with Muqty the obvious target of a new govt (presumably led by Allawi?) its not impossible that Muqty has decided to strike first, on the not unreasonable idea that Washington is waiting till after the US election to strike. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2006-10-20 11:04 |
| #10 But, but ... Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki recently announced the formation of a special committee to address the countryÂ’s illegal militia issue ... |
| Posted by: Bobby 2006-10-20 10:11 |
| #9 Calling Spooky... |
| Posted by: mojo 2006-10-20 10:08 |
| #8 I'm thinking its time we had a meeting of the mind with Tater - his mind and our 50 cal from a barret. |
| Posted by: Oldspook 2006-10-20 09:49 |
| #7 Maliki sends "an emergency security delegation" of those who enable and cooperate with the Shia militia. The message is prolly, "WTF! You jumped the gun!" |
| Posted by: .com 2006-10-20 09:47 |
| #6 Ah, shiite! Time to pooper scooper. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2006-10-20 09:44 |
| #5 Consider the likelihood that the Brits withdrew because they knew this was pending and didn't want to get into it with the Shia militia. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-10-20 09:36 |
| #4 Not this time, hopefully. The time for pendantic Sandhursters is over. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2006-10-20 09:26 |
| #3 Back we go again .. UK troops on the move back to Amara |
| Posted by: Chilet Crealet6299 2006-10-20 08:51 |
| #2 Another example of Islam being incapatable with civilization. It's a shame the regular Iraqi suffers at the hands of these animals, however my capacity to give a shit has worn thin. It is decidedly un-Christian of me, but I want dead jihadi's (Sadr included), screw the democracy experiment - they don't deserve it. |
| Posted by: JerseyMike 2006-10-20 08:42 |
| #1 Precisely why soppy British Generals/Majors should STFU and concentrate on the task in hand. |
| Posted by: Howard UK 2006-10-20 08:38 |