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| Iraq |
| US-Iraq forces plan new assault on Shia city |
| 2007-11-07 |
| BAGHDAD - Iraqi and US forces are planning a military assault to take control of the central Shiite city of Diwaniyah, half of which is in the grip of militants, a top Iraqi official said on Tuesday. “A widespread security operation will be launched soon in Diwaniyah with multinational forces to restore state control over the city,” said Sheikh Hussain al-Khalidi, head of the provincial council of Qadisiyah, the province of which Diwaniyah is the capital. Diwaniyah, 180 kilometres (110 miles) south of Baghdad, is witnessing a raging Shiite turf war between fighters loyal to radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and powerful politician Abdel Aziz al-Hakim. Khalidi said the assault is necessary because gunmen have controlled half of the city for the past year. “The operation will be strong and fast. I appeal to the people of Diwaniyah to be patient as there could be some difficulties caused by the military operation. Our intent is to bring stability,” Khalidi told AFP. Diwaniyah has seen a series of high-level political assassinations that have spread panic among its 1.1 million people. In August, the governor of Qadisiyah and the police chief were assassinated in a roadside bomb attack on their way back to Diwaniyah. Governor Khalil Jamil Hamza was a member of Hakim’s Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council party that sits in Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s ruling coalition. The militants have also regularly clashed with security forces and last year dozens of casualties were sustained on both sides in a particularly fierce battle. US and Iraqi forces had launched a series of military operations in the city, but have been unable to restore complete government control. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #2 I hope the US and the Iraqi Army had time to set up some ambushes before this blabbermouth spewed his screed. We could probably catch some big fish running away from the impending attack. Or, we may be trying to follow those "leaders" to their next den, in hope of exterminating two sources of vermin at the same time. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2007-11-07 12:31 |
| #1 Kill Tadar Tot and that will help things quite a bit. But, I'll setting for slaughtering most of his followers. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2007-11-07 10:30 |