Iraqi Shiite Militias Clash Near Babylon

[ECH1969]

Rival Shiite militiamen battled near the ancient city of Babylon on Saturday until American forces and helicopters rushed to separate the combatants.

Gunfights broke out in Hamza al-Gharbi, about 60 miles south of Baghdad, after a bomb exploded near the offices of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, a leading Shiite political party that sponsors the Badr Brigades militia.

The party's supporters accused members of the Madhi Army headed by the radical anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr of being behind the blast, Police Capt. Muthana Khalid Ali said. He said Iraqi army and police called for reinforcements and backup from American forces, who imposed a curfew. There was no immediate confirmation of U.S. involvement from a military spokesmen.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2594351

Sadr sounds like he is making his power play.

[tularetom]

1. Well if you believe what you hear on TV

he's just doing this to influence the US elections so we'll elect Democrats who will then direct the generals in Iraq to have their troops sing Kumbaiya to the insurgents. Actually that might not be a bad idea it'd sure as hell be cheaper than the gazillions we're spending there now to accomplish jack shit.

[Kagemusha]

2. That and every bad thing's being blamed on him

I wonder how difficult it'd be for a Sunni radical to place a bomb at the right place and have his enemies point fingers at each other at this point.

[acmavm]

3. I believe that EVERYBODY is trying to grab the reins of power right

now. Shi'ites (more than one faction), Sunnis, and the US in combinination with the Maliki government (are doing their damn best to try to come out on top).

There's really no way right now to sort out all the dogs in this hunt. I think that we'll just have to wait and see who's standing at the end.

(Who is Iran and Syria backing I wonder?)

[Amonester]

5. Wait and see? Sorry, but: NO!

BRING THE BOYS 'N GIRLS BACK (in a place where they'll be safe), and THEN wait and see who's gonna 'win' THEIR (silly) civil war.

No?

[acmavm]

6. Your big mistake is being logical, insightful, intelligent, and showing

honest concern for the human sacrifices for oil and power in the Middle East that are otherwise known as the US military. Everybody here knows that it would be ideal if they could come home now. But the plain and simple truth is that it is going to take a major ruckus from our elected 'reps' and a changing of the guard on the 7th of next month to get this killers in bush** administration to even start to consider bring them home. And even at that it will be a fight. Of course by that time they may have bombed Iran and they will use that as an excuse, but who knows.

Reality if the situation is that the troops will be there in the middle of that multi-sided power struggle whether we like it or not.

[Amonester]

10. Yes, the ideal is for (most of) them to come home. The strategic

is for many of them to be redeployed from a (secure) distant "check-point" (or "many" check-points) like John Murtha "relayed" from his personnal 'sources' (in other words: not from the dictatorturors' "yes-men").

And about Iran, unless the fascist chimp, darth, and herr (and their corrupt cronies) really want this world to end... the "ex-Soviets" sent a message that 'seemed' to be saying they won't wait until Moscow's 'circled' "this time"...


:scared:

[reprobate]

4. From that picture, he doesn't need US troops, he needs US dentists.

[saigon68]

7. Yikes

[bemildred]

8. Sadr does not have to make a power play.

What appears to be happening is that efforts are being made to attack or weaken him. Too little and too late, I think, but only events can prove the case.

[Wiley50]

9. God, His Teeth look worse than mine

But, I have an excuse
I'm a poor American
on SSI Disability
and have no dental coverage

He's a High Muquti Muck

I wqould have thought their priests had dental?