(Iraq) Sadrists expand civil disobedience to all provinces

[sabra]

Source: Voice of Iraq

Baghdad, Mar 25, (VOI) - Sadrists expanded the civil disobedience they started to include all provinces, the spokesman for the Sadrist bloc said on Tuesday.

"The Sadrist bloc announced the expansion of the civil disobedience to include all provinces in Iraq," Nassar al-Rubaei said at a press conference held in Baghdad.

He called on citizens to support this disobedience, demanding that the government implement the Sadrists' demands.
Sadrist officials called on Monday for an open-ended civil disobedience, which has already begun in the western Baghdad neighborhoods of al-Shurta, al-Bayya, al-Amil, and al-Risala.

The VOI correspondent said life came to a standstill in those neighborhoods, where stores closed and traffic stopped after barricades believed to belong to the Sadrists were erected.


Read more: http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=74155&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1

[acmavm]

1. Hmmmm. Wonder what put th burr up al Sadrs ass? I knew that

he couldn't stay quiet for long and still maintain his street cred. But what was the magic event that put him into motion. Or is it al Sadr at all? Is it just his Army?

[sabra]

2. after the "ceasefire" was extended - many Mehdi militia members were not happy

they complained that they were being abused by the US mil and Iraqi gov't. Sadr said you can fight only to defend themselves. Now he has announced an official "protest" - which is only supposed to be civil disobedience... which could quickly become violent.

[acmavm]

4. Oh. So if they think they have an okay to 'defend' themselves

from the occupiers that they hate so much, things could get really ugly really fast? I see.

Thanks.

[sabra]

5. "things could get really ugly really fast?"

we need to keep out eyes on this one - this could be a defining moment...

[librechik]

33. bribe money not flowing as promised.

dumbass Bushies. They are so fucking cheap. They always start complaining about paying foreign aid at some point.

[annabanana]

26. US and "Iraqi" forces have apparently been imprisoning

"extremists" (McCain's term for them), and Al Sadr wants them back.

[acmavm]

29. How long has this been going on? Didn't he just 'renew' the much talked

about truce or cease fire or whatever about a month ago?

[annabanana]

35. Well. . yeah-ish

He said he did, but also said that many of his army were chafing under the directive..AND He's just announced what he calls "civil disobedience" actions..that aren't really all that "civil"

[SpiralHawk]

3. "Surging to chaos. Smirk." - Commander AWOL

"Don't worry, we republicons are the Deciders. Smirk. You know we will do a heckuva job suring along with the shock & awe & massive war profits thingy. Smirk."

- Commander AWOL

[Supersedeas]

9. more news not to be disseminated by the GoP Cable Media Establishment

[truthisfreedom]

6. It'll be a little difficult for bushco to say Iran is behind this one.

[NashVegas]

7. This Is What Iraqis Should Have Done From the Very Beginning

They didn't have anyone who could coordinate the discipline that's needed for country-wide CD.

[Supersedeas]

19. nothing to see here - the Media has its script: the surge is working, the surge is working

[Barrett808]

8. AFP: Sadr militia battle troops in three Iraqi cities

Sadr militia battle troops in three Iraqi cities
by Ammar Karim

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Moqtada al-Sadr's militiamen Tuesday battled troops in three Iraqi cities on Tuesday, including the capital, as the hardline Shiite cleric threatened a countrywide campaign of civil revolt.

Heavy clashes broke out between Sadr's Mahdi Army fighters in the southern oil city of Basra, killing at least seven people and wounding 48, as well as in Kut, 175 kilometres (110 miles) southeast of Baghdad, officials said.

As evening fell, Mahdi Army fighters clashed with Iraqi and US forces in their Sadr City bastion in eastern Baghdad, a security official and witnesses told AFP.

Troops had surrounded the sprawling impoverished neighbourhood of two million people and armed Shiite fighters were roaming the streets, a witness said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The clashes are the first in Sadr City between the Shiite militia and US troops since October 21, when around 50 people were killed during US raids targeting an Iranian-linked insurgent.

The fighting, which severely strains a ceasefire declared by Sadr in late August and renewed last month, prompted the cleric to issue a stern warning that he would launch protests and a nationwide strike if attacks against his movement and "poor people" are not halted.

"We demand that religious and political leaders intervene to stop the attacks on poor people. We call on all Iraqis to launch protests across all the provinces.

"If the government does not respect these demands, the second step will be general civil disobedience in Baghdad and the Iraqi provinces," Sadr said in a statement read by his representative Hazam al-Aaraji in the holy city of Najaf.

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080325/wl_afp/iraq

[sabra]

10. Barrett808 - in your opinion, how is this going to play out?

[MisterP]

11. think a bearded Joan of Arc n/t

[Barrett808]

12. Well, there's no easier way to make a fool of yourself than to make predictions, but...

...since you ask, I'll pontificate a bit.

We have quite a lot of reporting that indicates the Sunnis are keeping their powder dry for the "inevitable" civil war with the Shi'ites. This means smiling and cooperating with the US occupation forces while simultaneously re-arming for the eventual withdrawal.

Because we're not drawing troop levels down significantly, by definition, the "surge" failed. But the surge narrative provides cover for three elements of Bush mob strategy:

- Tacit US approval of ethnic cleansing;
- Surrendering to Sunni tribes in Anbar, then arming and paying them;
- Salvaging something from the unmitigated disaster for Bush/Cheney's legacy.

To the degree that the discourse has centered on whether "the surge succeeded", the strategy has been successful, because examination of these other elements has been largely deflected.

Once in power, I think the Democratic strategy will be to withdraw most ground forces to the megabases and allow the civil war to play out as a low-intensity conflict. Air power will be deployed to prevent large set-piece battles. The US will continue its tacit support of ethnic cleansing, so Baghdad will continue to become increasingly Shi'ite. The US will quietly arm both sides, hoping they'll fight to a standstill. Life for Iraqi citizens will continue to be characterized by misery and terror.

The Maliki government will probably collapse. This will make little difference to Iraqis on the street, who get precious few services from the government anyway. Iraq will be balkanized into tribal fiefdoms. Militias will ascend to be the preeminent local powers. Al-Sadr is in an excellent position to expand his territory within and beyond Baghdad. One or another warlord will take control of Basra and exact huge tributes from exported and smuggled oil.

In a few years, Iraq -- once among the most advanced Arab nations -- will resemble Afghanistan: a failed state broken into many territories ruled by tribal warlords. Like Afghanistan, it will be a continuous source of trouble for the world.

[sabra]

18. thanks you for your analysis...

IMO, this might just be a temporary "blip" - with al Sadr showing everyone who really controls the "surge" or it will turn into the next stage of this quagmire hell :-(

[annabanana]

27. The "Sunni Awakening" guys haven't been paid lately.

We DID, however, arm them.

[bluesmail]

31. I don't think they give a rats-ass about their legacy

at this point in their history. (referring to # 3).

[saigon68]

37. And don't forget the Saudis will massively fund the Sunnis

It will be the Iraq-Iran war of the 80s all over again.

Except that Iran will be the wild card as its client puppets will demand more arms etc.

It will turn into a land where gangsters and hoodlums run the show.

Kind of like Albania

[bjobotts]

13. Tired of his country being raped by American contractors.

[bjobotts]

14. America has done more to prevent political reconcilliation than enhance it.

[bjobotts]

15. Thanks Bush for giving Iraq to Iran and rearming the Sunnis for more civil war.

[bjobotts]

16. McCain's insane. He doesn't know Shias from Sunni, Persian from Arab

[bjobotts]

17. The end of the world is near only because Pelosi took impeachment off the table

[junior college]

20. Brilliant idea by the US to pay off Sadr

Now that he has all that money he can use it to fund operations against the very people who gave it to him. Did the US consider that when they offered him the bribes?

[CANDO]

21. Our checks must have bounced

No money, no cooperation.

[ohio2007]

22. Rival Shi´ite Factions Clash in Baghdad

Fighting erupted between followers of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and supporters of a rival Shi'ite faction in several Baghdad neighbourhoods on Tuesday, police said.
The fighting was taking place in several neighbourhoods of Sadr City, the sprawling slum of about two million people that is Sadr's main stronghold, they said.

Police said Mehdi Army fighters loyal to Sadr were battling gunmen from the Badr Organisation, the armed wing of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC). The Sadrists and SIIC represent the two biggest Shi'ite political blocs in parliament.

Police said the fighting had forced them to leave the Habibiya and Orfaly neighbourhoods of Sadr City, along with a third neighbourhood close to the slum, al-Maamel.


snip
http://www.javno.com/en/world/clanak.php?id=134663

If rival Shia militia gangs want to fight each other I suppose the Sunni gangs will enjoy watching the "civil disobedience" play out.

[annabanana]

28. U.S. forces surround Sadr city

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3242295&mesg_id=3242295

[ohio2007]

36. Sadr city is not Basra Where al Sadr want to start talks with maliki

Baghdad - Shi'a leader Moqtada al-Sadr called on Wednesday for talks to end the crisis in Basra as his militiamen fought new deadly battles with Iraqi forces in the southern port city and other Shi'a areas.

Sadr, whose feared Mahdi Army militia has been the main target of the military operation launched on Tuesday, also demanded that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki leave Basra where he has been personally overseeing the crackdown.

snip
Sadr's call came hours after Maliki gave Shi'a militiamen a 72-hour deadline.

"We are not going to chase those who hand over their weapons within 72 hours," Maliki said.

"If they do not surrender their arms, the law will follow its course," the Basra Operational Command quoted the premier as saying.

snip

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3&art_id=nw20080326154323525C404954

[Barrett808]

23. McClatchy: Battles wrack Basra, threatening success of U.S. surge

Battles wrack Basra, threatening success of U.S. surge
By Leila Fadel and Ali al Basri | McClatchy Newspapers
Posted on Tuesday, March 25, 2008

BAGHDAD — Bloody clashes between the Mahdi Army and Iraqi government forces paralyzed the southern port of Basra Tuesday as the Iraqi government swore that it would cleanse the city of militia influences.

Residents of Basra cowered in their homes as Mahdi Army militiamen and Iraqi security forces battled across the second largest city in Iraq. Some 15,000 Iraqi Army and National Police were brought in to the city to take control. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki, as well as the country's defense and interior ministers, were in the city to oversee the effort.

In Baghdad, Mahdi Army-controlled neighborhoods were virtually shut down in an act of protest against the government. Militiamen attacked the headquarters of their Shiite Muslim rivals, the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq and its military wing, the Badr Organization.

The fighting was the worst combat involving in the Mahdi Army in months and threatened to end a Mahdi Army cease-fire that U.S. officials have credited in part for the relative calm of the last several months. Basra, Iraq' primary port and the home province to 90 percent of Iraq’s oil, has long been disputed by various Shiite militias, including the Mahdi Army and the Badr Organization.

When the British military pulled out late last year it essentially handed the city over to the militias, and the Mahdi Army, which is loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr, took control.

Government officials said they intended to take control of the city in three days.

(more)

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/31585.html

[hadrons]

32. If "success" can be threatened so easily, it wasn't really a success

[maddezmom]

24. Sadr militia battle troops in four Iraqi cities by Ammar Karim

Sadr militia battle troops in four Iraqi cities by Ammar Karim

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Moqtada al-Sadr's militiamen battled troops in four Iraqi cities on Tuesday, including the capital, as the hardline Shiite cleric threatened a countrywide campaign of civil revolt.

Heavy clashes broke out between Sadr's Mahdi Army fighters in the southern oil city of Basra, killing at least seven people and wounding 48, and in Kut and Hilla, both south of Baghdad, officials said.

As evening fell, Mahdi Army fighters fought with Iraqi and US forces in their Sadr City bastion in eastern Baghdad for the first time since last October, a security official and witnesses told AFP.

Troops had surrounded the sprawling impoverished neighbourhood of two million people and armed Shiite fighters were roaming the streets, a witness said.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080325/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_080325183949

[maddezmom]

25. NYT: Iraqi and U.S. Forces Battle Shiite Militia

Published: March 26, 2008
BAGHDAD — Heavy fighting broke out Tuesday in Iraq’s two largest cities, as Iraqi ground forces and helicopters mounted a huge operation to break the grip of the Shiite militias controlling Basra and Iraqi forces clashed with militias in Baghdad. The fighting threatened to destabilize a long-term truce that has helped reduce the level of violence in the five-year-old Iraq war.

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A blog looking at daily life inside Iraq, produced by The Times’s Baghdad bureau.

Go to the Blog » Tuesday’s battles, along with indications in recent weeks that militia and insurgent attacks had already been creeping up, raised fears across Iraq that Moktada al-Sadr, the renegade Shiite cleric, could pull out of a cease-fire he declared last summer. If his Mahdi Army militia does step up attacks, that could in turn slow American troop withdrawals.

There were also serious clashes in the southern cities of Kut and Hilla. In Basra, American and British jets roared through the skies, providing air support for the Iraqi military. A British Army spokesman for southern Iraq, Maj. Tom Holloway, said that while Western forces had not entered Basra, the operation already involved nearly 30,000 Iraqi troops and police forces, with more arriving.

“They are clearing the city block by block,” Major Holloway said.

The scale and intensity of the clashes in Baghdad kept many residents home. Schools and shops were closed in many neighborhoods and hundreds of checkpoints appeared; government-controlled in some neighborhoods and militia-run in others. Barrages of rockets pounded the fortified Green Zone area for the second time in three days. An American military spokesman said there were two minor injuries to civilians in the Green Zone.

Even before the crackdown on militias began on Tuesday, Pentagon statistics on the frequency of militia and insurgent attacks suggested that after major security gains last fall, the conflict has drifted into something of a stalemate, as overall violence has remained fairly steady over the last several months. The streets have become tense and much more dangerous again after a period of calm.

more:http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/26/world/middleeast/26iraq.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

[Solly Mack]

30. just another thing no one anticipated no doubt

[Massachusetts]

34. The Surge is working

Woops wrong army.