IRAQ: 'Handed Over' to a Government Called Sadr...

[Dhalgren]

IRAQ: 'Handed Over' to a Government Called Sadr
By Ali al-Fadhily and Dahr Jamail*

BAGHDAD, Apr 2 (IPS) - Despite the huge media campaign led by U.S. officials and a complicit corporate-controlled media to convince the world of U.S. success in Iraq, emerging facts on the ground show massive failure.

The date March 25 of this year will be remembered as the day of truth through five years of occupation.

"Mehdi army militias controlled all Shia and mixed parts of Baghdad in no time," a Baghdad police colonel, speaking on condition of anonymity, told IPS. "Iraqi army and police forces as well as Badr and Dawa militias suddenly disappeared from the streets, leaving their armoured vehicles for Mehdi militiamen to drive around in joyful convoys that toured many parts of Baghdad before taking them to their stronghold of Sadr City in the east of Baghdad."

The police colonel was speaking of the recent clashes between members of the Shia Muqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army, the largest militia in the country, and members of the Iraqi government forces, that are widely known to comprise members of a rival Shia militia, the Badr Organisation.

<snip>

"This failure takes Iraq to point zero and even worse," Brigadier-General Kathum Alwan of the Iraqi army told IPS in Baghdad. "We must admit that the formation of our forces was wrong, as we saw how our officers deserted their posts, leaving their vehicles for militias."

Alwan added, "Not a single unit of our army and police stood for their duty in Baghdad, leaving us wondering what to do. Most of the officers who left their posts were members of Badr brigades and the Dawa Party, who should have been most faithful to Maliki's government."

<snip>

"The Green Zone looked deserted as most U.S. and Iraqi personnel were ordered to take shelter deep underground," an engineer who works for a foreign company in the zone told IPS. "It seemed that this area too was under curfew. No place in Iraq is safe any more."

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41827


I think that al-Sadr could probably take over tomorrow. He is anti-American, that's true, but he's anti-Iranian, too. Maybe just being pro-Iraqi is enough. He even says that he wants to work with and be full partners with all Sunnis...So he has got to be evil, right? :eyes:

[Cooley Hurd]

1. I believe he also wants to nationalize the oil fields, too...

...THAT'S why the Bush admin cannot let his ascension to power happen.

[Dhalgren]

3. Right. Sadr says he wants to use the oil wealth for the Iraqi people

All the people - Kurds, Sunnis, and Shiia. So he's right out! :grr:

[DrDan]

2. and guess who is paying for these armored vehicles . . .

". . .our officers deserted their posts, leaving their vehicles for militias . . ."

[kentuck]

4. Juan Cole has written on this also...

There is another link on this page about that article from Salon.

[Dhalgren]

5. One of things that has been pointed out by Dr. Cole and others

and in the article on this post, is that the government-backed troops are almost universally worthless, while the opposition militias are generally hard fighters who stick to it. If Sadr can maintain fighters of relatively high quality why can't the US-backed government? And I believe I have answered my own question...

[Muttocracy]

6. kick - and yesterday's senate hearings sounded much like your last line...