Anti-US cleric al-Sadr threatens new uprising in Iraq

Anti-US cleric al-Sadr threatens new uprising in Iraq

news.yahoo.com

Anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr gave a "final warning" to the government Saturday to halt a U.S.-Iraqi crackdown against his followers or he would declare "open war until liberation."

A full-blown uprising by al-Sadr, who led two rebellions against U.S.-led forces in 2004, could lead to a dramatic increase in violence in Iraq at a time when the Sunni extremist group al-Qaida in Iraq appears poised for new attacks after suffering severe blows last year.

(visit the link for the full news article)


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[edit on 4/19/2008 by biggie smalls]

Oooh, we're in for it! Make ready the bomb shelters, Al Sadr's on the loose!

In all seriousness though, we could be in some serious trouble (our troops anyway, I'm safe here in Arizona- no sign of Al Qaeda in sight ).

There's already a civil war in Iraq. I'm not quite sure how much worse it can get, but I'm sure we'll see some fecal matter hitting the proverbial fan not too long from now.

I just hope our soldiers are out of Iraq before that happens, but from what the political arena looks like, we won't be out too soon...

In the statement, al-Sadr lashed back, accusing the government of selling out to the Americans and branding his followers as criminals.

Al-Sadr, who is believed to be in Iran, said he had tried to defuse tensions last August by declaring a unilateral truce, only to see the government respond by closing his offices and "resorting to assassinations."

"So I am giving my final warning ... to the Iraqi government ... to take the path of peace and abandon violence against its people," al-Sadr said. "If the government does not refrain ... we will declare an open war until liberation."

You heard the man. Get out or else he's foreclosing on our property. He sounds like a cutthroat banker.




news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 4/19/2008 by biggie smalls]

reply to post by biggie smalls


Well, this will end the illusion of the "surge" working. Any time the media reports a story about someone from Al Queda calling for aggression against America, I just want to slap my forehead.

"REALLY??? I thought they were our friends. Why would they want to increase attacks?" What is the media trying to distract us from?

That al Sadr, he calls for his people to fight while he hides in iran. No surprise there that he is safe from the fighting while talking tough.

Interestingly enough, it is #es in charge of the Govt. in Iraq that
www.cnn.com...

But an uprising like the one al-Sadr threatened Saturday would ultimately fuel inter-Shiite fighting through Sadr City and other Shiite communities.

Intense fighting between Iraqi security forces and al-Sadr's Mehdi Army continued Saturday in the southern city of Nasiriya and in Sadr City, the cleric's Baghdad stronghold.

Twelve people were killed in overnight fighting Friday into Saturday between Iraqi security forces and the Mehdi Army in Sadr City, an Interior Ministry official said. Six dozen people were wounded.

In Nasiriya, sporadic clashes spilled into Saturday, leaving four police officers and 16 militia members dead, the ministry official confirmed. The clashes prompted authorities to impose a curfew in the city Saturday.

In another southern city, Diwanyia, which witnessed deadly fighting between Iraqi forces and the Mehdi Army last month, officials discovered 14 decapitated bodies. An interior ministry official said the bodies appear to be a few days old.

Gee what a shock, they cut off their heads, well at least they didn't waterboard them which as we all know is far worse then being killed.

Meanwhile, Iraqi troops began a new phase of the security operation launched March 25 by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, dubbed Charge of the Knights. The operation aims to clear militants from their strongholds in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, a spokesman for the British army said.

The operation began early Saturday in the Hayania district, with British artillery and U.S. aircraft hitting open ground as a show of force, Maj. Tom Holloway said.

Iraqi troops, working with U.S. and British military teams, were in control of Hayania by the afternoon, said Maj. Gen. Abdul Karim Khalaf, a spokesman for the Iraqi Interior Ministry.

The troops did not face much resistance but encountered explosives planted on the roads as they entered, Khalaf said. They were able to defuse them and were searching house to house for wanted "criminals" and illegal weapons.

"As with the earlier phases ... this continues to be an Iraqi-led, -planned and -executed mission," Holloway said. "Coalition troops are ready to provide support to Iraqi Security Forces as requested and required."

Let the shia fight each other, and on top of that let AQ start again with their suicide bombings. It isn't like that will endear them to anyone there.

Still all the more reason for the US to move our troops out of this despicable wasteland. The only thing they want to do is kill each other and wage war, so let them, just let them do it without any US troops anymore.

reply to post by biggie smalls


this is some good news for Iran then
if Sadar calls on this it will mean more US servicemen in body bags being sent back to the US.

and more trouble means the less popular another war on a third front will look pleasing to the masses (maybe the blood thursity ones will stillm screem war and so on)

none the less this is the last thing Iraq needs.
and on that note anyone see oil prices sky rocketing again