U.S. troops, cleric's militia battle outside Najaf

[Quetzal]

U.S. troops, cleric's militia battle outside Najaf
Fallujah leaders talk with Marines; convoys to get more protection

NAJAF, Iraq - Iraq’s top Shiite cleric on Friday warned the U.S. military against entering the holy cities of Karbala and Najaf as U.S. troops clashed with Shiite militiamen. Another Shiite leader, Muqtada al-Sadr, who is wanted by the U.S. military, said negotiations over his standoff were near collapse.

Al-Sadr militiamen reportedly attacked American soldiers outside the city of Kufa, neighboring Najaf. There were large explosions by the river in a sparsely populated area on the edge of the city. Five civilians caught in the crossfire were killed and 14 were wounded, hospital officials said.

Some 2,500 U.S. soldiers are deployed outside Najaf, under orders to kill or capture al-Sadr and dismantle his al-Mahdi Army militia.

Iraq’s top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani, warned of a strong Shiite response if U.S. forces entered Najaf or Karbala to capture al-Sadr.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4667742/

[izzie]

1. This sounds like real trouble for us, what do you think?

If 300,000 troops in Vietnam could not beat, walking army with small arms, in the out back of that country, how are 130,000 armed USA men going to take on half the Middle East men, with small arms, in their own countries? Can you think of any country that has beat that? Maybe England in India until they made up their minds to fight back.England was in that country for 300 years. I do not see this working at all, what we are doing, in the Middle East. Will the USA see gas as this important to us? I have been anti-war from the start so may look at this from my point of view. I do think the people of the Middle East will wish to rule them selfs but I do not think we are really helping.

[dbt]

3. izzie, this is going to be a REAL grim lesson for "us."

The Bible-thumpers who have spent the last couple of generations trying to put "God back in the classroom" over here are about to run up against a society that has had "Allah in the classrooms" for a thousand years over there.

God, meet God. Now, which one of You will be on which side?

:freak:
dbt

PS: could You PLEASE help al-Sistani not get pushed any further? I fear that he's about to give The Word.

[fishnfla]

2. Sistani draws a line, this is huge!

This should be the headline on itself.

[Mari333]

4. All of the anger that the shi ites have held in for years

and all of the awareness that the shi ites have had, knowing full well that saddam was also a US puppet, and all of the anger the Iraqi people have had for so long living in a repressive regime (funded by the US), and all of the anger now with Bush's stance on his new policy with Israel, is going to go to one place.
The troops.
Bush has got to go, now. November is too late.
http://www.bringthemhomenow.com