Iraqi Prime Minister Slams U.S. Government, Military

[Bronco_Beerslug]

First he orders the U.S. to release a known terrorist leader and now this.

This is exactly what I was saying a couple years ago would happen. They don't want us there, we don't need to be there, it's time to get out of there, now.

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Iraqi leader disavows timetable report
By SAMEER N. YACOUB, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. and Iraqi forces on Wednesday raided Sadr City, the stronghold of the feared Shiite militia led by radical anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, but Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki disavowed the operation, saying he had not been consulted and insisting "that it will not be repeated."

The defiant al-Maliki also slammed the top U.S. military and diplomatic representatives in Iraq for saying Iraq needed to set a timetable to curb violence ravaging the country.

"I affirm that this government represents the will of the people and no one has the right to impose a timetable on it," al-Maliki said at a news conference.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said Tuesday that al-Maliki had agreed to the plan, announced at a rare joint appearance with Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, who said he would not hesitate to ask for more troops if he felt they were necessary.

At least four people were killed and 18 injured in the overnight fighting in the overwhelmingly Shiite eastern district known as Sadr City, according to Col. Khazim Abbas, a local police commander, and Qassim al-Suwaidi, director of the area's Imam Ali Hospital.

The U.S. military said Iraqi army special forces, backed up by U.S. advisers, carried out a raid to capture a "top illegal armed group commander directing widespread death squad activity throughout eastern Baghdad," the military said in a statement.

Al-Maliki, who is commander in chief of Iraq's army, heatedly denied he knew anything about the raid:

"We will ask for clarification about what has happened in Sadr City. We will review this issue with the multinational forces so that it will not be repeated...The Iraqi government should be aware and part of any military operation. Coordination is needed between Iraqi government and multinational forces."

As the raid began, Iraqi forces were fired on and asked for American airpower backup. The U.S. said it used "precision gunfire only to eliminate the enemy threat," according to the military's statement.

There was no word on casualties or whether the targeted death squad leader was captured.

Up to now, U.S. and Iraqi forces have largely avoided the densely populated Sadr City slum, a grid of rutted streets and tumble-down housing that is home to 2.5 million Shiites and under the control of al-Sadr's Mahdi Army.

Reining in the Mahdi Army and militias like it is one of the thorniest problems facing al-Maliki because his fragile Shiite-dominated government derives much of its power from al-Sadr's party and a second political power with a powerful militia, the Supreme Council for the Revolution in Iraq, or SCIRI.

Residents living near Sadr City said gunfire and airstrikes began around late Tuesday and continued for hours. The district on Baghdad's eastern edge was sealed to outsiders Wednesday morning.

Groups of young men in black fatigues favored by the Mahdi Army were seen driving toward the area to join the fight.

Explosions and automatic weapons fire were heard above the noise of U.S. helicopters circling overhead firing flares. Streets were empty and shops closed.

CONT

[bendog]

I'll take a wild guess that this didn't come up in the boy warrior king's press conference this am.

Dman LIEbral press.

[Rohirrim]

I know this isn't very lefty of me, but I suggest that the last thing the U.S. do before they leave Iraq is whack Sadr. I know it's against the concept of legality and human rights and all of that, but think of it this way, if somebody had taken out Adolph when he was sitting in that jail cell in Munich writing Mein Kampf, wouldn't the whole world have been a whole lot better off?

[bendog]

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

I know this isn't very lefty of me, but I suggest that the last thing the U.S. do before they leave Iraq is whack Sadr. I know it's against the concept of legality and human rights and all of that, but think of it this way, if somebody had taken out Adolph when he was sitting in that jail cell in Munich writing Mein Kampf, wouldn't the whole world have been a whole lot better off?

A bit late. Now early on there was some "talk" about arresting the guy for the assasination (with knife of course) of some other cleric .... but we're sorta long on talk about what we're doing in Iraq, and short on walk.

[Bronco_Beerslug]

Originally Posted by bendog

I'll take a wild guess that this didn't come up in the boy warrior king's press conference this am.

Dman LIEbral press.

It actually did but Bush answered like he did the entire press conference, without actually answering the questions asked.

'He rambled on about how we're not going to have timetables and we're going to work with him on benchmarks in the future'.

[bendog]

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Con...d=970599119419

[Rohirrim]

Originally Posted by bendog

A bit late. Now early on there was some "talk" about arresting the guy for the assasination (with knife of course) of some other cleric .... but we're sorta long on talk about what we're doing in Iraq, and short on walk.

He has probably killed two prominent Imams, Al Hakim and Al Khoi, both of whom were less radical and more open to the West. To leave Iraq with Sadr still alive would not be much different than when we allowed the Ayatollah Khomenei to return to Iran. If the one thing we fear is a conflagration enveloping the region once we leave, why would we leave the one man in the country alive who is the most likely of anyone to ignite such a conflagration? Pure stupidity, IMO.

[bendog]

I think there was US support for arresting him, and later for militarily confronting his milita (ie letting them disarm or die), but the former leader, allawi?, said it'd be too confrontational. What a mess.

Assuming we lose Iraq by having no choice but to allow them their civil war, death squads and all, I wonder what the fallout will be.

[Bronco_Beerslug]

This story is largely being ignored by American mainstream media. Is there any doubt left that there is NO justification left for destroying and sacrificing American lives in this fanitical, religious sh*thole?

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Originally Posted by Bronco_Beerslug

Is there any doubt left that there is NO justification left for destroying and sacrificing American lives in this fanitical, religious sh*thole?

Only among the most delusional BushCo brownie hounds.