Sadr City Success Story (They love us there!)

[Barrett808]

Sadr City Success Story
By T. Christian Miller Times Staff Writer

BAGHDAD — Crammed into armored Humvees heaving with weapons, Lt. Col. S. Jamie Gayton and his soldiers were greeted by a surprising sight as they rolled into one of Baghdad's poorest neighborhoods.

Men stood and waved. Women smiled. Children flashed thumbs-up signs as the convoy rumbled across the potholed streets of Sadr City.

It was a far more welcoming scene than the urban war zone of a year ago, when U.S. troops and black-clad guerrilla fighters battled in the narrow alleys of the squalid slum.

"We're making a huge impact," Gayton said as his men pulled up to a sewer station newly repaired with U.S. funds. "It has been incredibly safe, incredibly quiet and incredibly secure."

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/latimests/20050907/ts_latimes/sadrcitysuccessstory

[Bob3]

1. Ah the happy natives story

I was wondering when that was coming.

[H5N1]

2. do you think even one word of this is true?

[Benhurst]

3. Yes!

"...the convoy rumbled across the potholed streets of Sadr City." TRUE! The rest is lies.

[H5N1]

5. I missed that line

[ugarte]

8. These are Shiites, less hostile than the Sunnis

The enemy of my enemy is my friend, etc...for the time being.

[Barrett808]

4. I suspect this is of a piece with the Najaf turnover story

Sadr's all on board nowadays. I imagine there's some secret power-sharing agreement between Sadr and SCIRI. Essentially, we're handing the South over to the Badr Brigade -- er, Badr "Organization."

[bribri16]

6. As soon as we finish cleaning up our mess, they will take it back.

count on it.

[ugarte]

7. One word from al Sadr

and they'll be shooting at us tomorrow.

[minkyboodle]

11. exactly

and I'm sure we will manage away to start fighting with his militia at some point.. we seem to find a way :(

[Tempest]

9. There's a reason why they're happy to see the U.S. troops

They're about to get a constitution which makes Islam the basis for all laws thanks to Bush.

Unlike during Saddam, when they suffered under a secular government.

[krkaufman]

10. Hope it's true. n/t

[Skittles]

12. did they find WMDs there?

just curiouos