U.S. Troops Enter Najaf, Pressure Militia

[demoman123]

NAJAF, Iraq - U.S. soldiers rolled into a base in the Shiite holy city of Najaf on Monday to replace withdrawing Spanish troops and put pressure on a radical anti-American Shiite militia in control of parts of the city.

U.S. soldiers have vowed to stay far from the city's holy sites to avoid outraging Iraq's majority Shiite Muslims.

But the move deploys U.S. troops within the Najaf urban area for the first time since they first moved against the Al-Mahdi Army militia of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

About 200 troops and Military Police rolled into the base Monday morning. The base is about three miles from Shiite shrines at the heart of Najaf.


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040426/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_najaf&cid=540&ncid=716

UPDATED HERE:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=ap/iraq

[AnnitaR]

1. Shit's going to hit the fan this week!

It's going to be a horrible week.

How many more have to die?

[dusty64]

13. This is VERY bad.

It seems like they are enacting every move out of the "What Never To Do" handbook. I hate these fu$ks! :grr:

[krkaufman]

2. oohhhh, fuuuuuuuuuuuu.....

n/t

[not systems]

3. Who are the bastards deep sixing this story in the ratings?

What goes through the mind of people giving these stories low ratings?

200 hundred US solders move into a base that is under sustained mortar fire
and someone rates it a 1 to make sure it is not seen by many people.

[RoyGBiv]

4. Gotta be Freepers

I keep noticing the same thing. Any story centered on something like this gets lower ratings. I came across a new story the other day mentioning the death of a soldier, and it only had one rating at the time. It was a 1.

Now, if there's something about a pink fuzzy bunny crossing the road, well, that sucker is right about 5 all day long.

[Disturbed]

5. Theory

Maybe the US Govt. wants a massive Shi'ite uprisng so that Iraq can be subdued. The US Govt. and the Saudis do not want Shia rule, closely alligned with Iran.

US Troops will not be pulled out unless the death toll gets into the 20K levels and the American people start for real protests.Most Repubs and Dems in Congress all fully behind the US staying in Iraq indefinetly and that includes J. Kerry.

[demoman123]

6. This attack on Najaf risks bringing Iran into the war

But this seems to be a risk the US government is willing to take.

[AnnitaR]

7. This is what they want to happen!

Iran getting involved would play right into their hands.

Iran & Syria are next no matter what happens.

[0007]

14. I don't think the U.S. cares. junior will enact the draft and then

will come on like FDR did in the early 40's.

Expect War Bonds to hit the streets as young men disappear into the draft.

[izzie]

10. I think Kerry is wrong.

!!!!!!!

[54anickel]

11. Yep, that rating system is the reason I don't use Ya-hoo for news. It

sucks. What's wrong with letting the number of hits determine the rating?

[izzie]

9. Did not the news say that Bush was in the middle of this?

That their was a DC meeting with the President on this?He was the final say or some such thing? Sounds like Nam all over.

[jean]

16. just now: Its current average rating is 4.07 with 43 vote(s)

[Tomas]

8. Don't worry

Don't worry. Really. I bet al Sistani will just say something like "about that line in the sand thing, i had my fingers crossed". Its not like would go to war over some silly holy city, right?

[lazarus]

12. Fatwas are coming, soon

"Iranian clerics have warned the US that a military assault on two holy cities in Iraq would unleash the wrath of Shia Muslims.
Their warning was echoed by President Mohammed Khatami, who said it would be 'suicide' for the coalition to attack Najaf and Kerbala, still encircled by US forces.
It would 'mobilise emotions among the world's Shia against the Americans', he added in a statement reported by Tehran newspapers. 'I do not think they will make such a mistake, because if they did they would be caught up in a storm.'
Three senior clerics used stronger language, saying they would issue fatwas (religious rulings) if the pilgrimage sites remained encircled.
'The US should know that the holy city of Najaf is the capital for all the world's Shias and that if the occupiers do not end the encirclement they will be confronted by all Shias,' Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani said, according to the newspaper Hamshahri. "
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1201294,00.html

[dbt]

15. We need to learn this word: Fatwa

We also need to realize that al-Sistani is the most important person on the face of the Earth right now. Upon his word, a thousand Hells will open up for Amerika.

:freak:
dbt

[Cooley Hurd]

17. Ayatollah al-Sistani has made it perfectly clear...

...that if any US moves on Fallujah take place, he will throw his support to al-Sadr. When this happens, the war will be lost (for the US).

Extremely fucking stupid to enter Najaf, if you ask me. :grr:

[markses]

18. This is a very small move

The militia's have already agreed rto give the Spanish troops peace and safe passage for their exit. The US is taking advantage of this time to deploy these troops. As soon as the Spanish are out, they will start taking mortar and small arms fire. You can book that.