Iraqi Cleric Al-Sadr Sets Conditions to End Fighting AFP Says

[bemildred]

ug. 13 (Bloomberg) -- The Iraqi Shiite Muslim
cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, whose supporters are
staging an insurgency in southern Iraq, has set 10
conditions to end clashes with U.S. and Iraqi forces
in Najaf, Agence France-Presse reported, citing a
spokesman for the rebel leader.

Bloomberg

Here is another take:

Sadr offered deal to flee holy city

AMID mounting protests against the US-led assault on the
holy city of Najaf, the Iraqi Government has opened
negotiations with radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and
promised him safe passage out of the besieged Imam Ali
mosque.

Iraqi Interior Minister Falah Al Naqib pledged Sadr "will
not be touched if he leaves the shrine peacefully", but the
rebel leader, who was wounded by shrapnel during battles
in Najaf early yesterday, called on his Mehdi Army
followers to fight on.

The Weekend Australian

[wtmusic]

1. "American forces, which take their orders from the Iraqi Government"

from the WA -- is everything backward in the land down under?

[Strelnikov_]

16. Remember When The Right-Wing Screamed About American Troops

not taking orders from the U.N. during Bosnia/Kosovo?

The American Right-Wing, masters of doublethink.

[krkaufman]

31. Good one, Loin. n/t

[Gloria]

2. Very late last night I was listening to the reports coming in from

the BBC World Service. They were saying that the next 2-3 months will tell if all of Iraq (except the Kurds) goes into open revolt. The reporter mentioned how this would be in the runup to the US election.

From an article I posted in the current WMW, even without harming the holy shrines, there have been enough images already that have done plenty of damage and will contribute to unrest. Smoke rising from the city reminds them of things they saw Saddam doing....

[bemildred]

4. Well, yeah, this is just warming up.

It's still Summer, Ramadan is coming, and it is still the case
that more stuff worked properly in Iraq under Saddam with the
sanctions and US/Brit bombing campaign than are working now, a
year and a half after the war was "over", under coalition
rule. But BushCo has a record to maintain, 100% fuckups so far.

[The Magistrate]

8. That Is My Take As Well, My Friend

This is the sort of mess that only gets worse....

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[papau]

3. Sounds like a deal the GOP/NRA wing could support.

1. Withdrawal of all Iraqi and foreign forces from the city, after which al-Sadr's militias will pull out of Najaf.

2. Najaf to be run by the Marjayia religious authority - with no one else having any authority there.

3. Us/Iraq give up on disarming al-Sadr's militia, known as the Mahdi Armyal-Sadr's militia, known as the Mahdi Army.

4. The Mahdi Army to be recognized as an ideological movement with the right to carry weapons for self-defense.

Sounds like a deal the GOP/NRA wing could support.

[bemildred]

5. I don't think al Sadr actually wants to settle.

He's got us right where he wants us, why should he back off?

[papau]

7. The terms offerred amount to rubbibg Bush's nose in it- so why not?

"got us right where he wants us" - yep - I totally agree.

:-)

[The Magistrate]

6. It Sounds, Sir, Like A Complete Victory For Mr. al'Sadr

Have these terms been accepted by the puppet government? It is hard to see how either that, or the current U.S. administration, could accept them: they are defeat, pure and simple, for those entities....

"As the man run out of town on a rail said, 'If it wasn't for the honor of the thing, I'd hust as soon walk.'"

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[papau]

9. Smile - I agree - and I love your posts!

:-)

[bemildred]

11. No agreement in place, AFAIK.

Just that the "offensive" is on hold and various claims
are being made, and we all know what that is worth. And
this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x747535

[The Magistrate]

13. Thank You For The Heads-Up, Sir

A cheerful development for Mr. al'Sadr indeed....

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[bemildred]

14. My pleasure.

We have to preserve such bits of real news as we manage to dig up.
Aidoneus comments were helpful, too. I think he's been poking around
in foreign sources again.

[The Magistrate]

15. Unfortunately, My Friend

Those are the only the ones where facts can be found nowadays. We might as well be in the old Soviet Union as far as news coverage goes.

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[Darranar]

25. Like last time, this "truce/not truce/maybe truce" period will last...

a while as the US tries to avoid making it look like a surrender and Sadr tries to get as much as possible out of it.

This is far from over yet.

But Bush and the puppet government have few options; they can't continue the offensive much longer, because the more prolonged this affair is the more likely it is that it will spark a large-scale Shi'ite uprising, which would be a disaster for the US.

[skip fox]

10. And here I thought I'd won this argument through the agency of unfolding

event. Ah, well. But now the real test comes. And we get to see Bush try to define sovereignty again. If it wasn't for the possible dire results, we might appreciate the situation's entertainment value.

I think Bush & Co. will use every tool at its disposal try to persuade the Iraqis to go in and get al-Sadr. But if the Interior Minister has already promised al-Sadr safe passage. . . .

What a mess!

[skip fox]

12. Some more of the pressures on the Iraqi government:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,10434405%255E2703,00.html

<snip>
Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, who has called on the insurgents to lay down their
arms, needs a resolution rapidly -- preferably by this weekend, when a
three-day national conference to select a key advisory committee begins.

A powerful grouping of tribal and political party leaders met Mr Allawi last night
and urged him to call off the siege, while Arab governments have also
expressed alarm at the intensity of the fighting around the shrine, one of Islam's
holiest sites.

Vice-President Ibrahim Jaafari and National Security Adviser Mufaq Rubai are
on the spot in Najaf, trying to persuade the rebels to give up their fight. An
uneasy truce is in place, although gunfire has been reported outside the
military perimeter. Interior Minister Al Naqib was emphatic in holding out his
olive branch to Sadr. "We will go after the criminal elements that have
penetrated the Sadr movement, but not Moqtada," he insisted.

<snip>

[bemildred]

17. Thousands descend on Najaf after Sadr urges Shiite militia to fight on

NAJAF, Iraq : Thousands of Iraqis descended on Najaf after
Moqtada Sadr urged his Shiite militia to fight on, while US and
Iraqi forces closed in on his stronghold and a British journalist
was abducted in the south.

Around 2,000 demonstrators marched under the blazing sun from
Najaf's twin city of Kufa after Friday prayers, straight through
the US and Iraqi lines to the revered Imam Ali mausoleum.


Showered with sweets and water, they embraced
members of Sadr's Mehdi Army who have battled US-led forces
for nine days in this beseiged pilgrimage city and shouted their
support for the cleric and his fighters.

"All of us are soldiers of Moqtada Sadr. With our blood and our
soul, we serve you Ali" chanted demonstrators, none of them
carrying weapons.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/100751/1/.html

[The Magistrate]

19. Doubtless, Sir

There are some weapons about the place that can be picked up....

It is a damned porous cordon that allows such a thing through. Roman legions would never have permitted it.

"Can't nobody here play this game?"

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[bemildred]

20. Mr. McGowan had a piece in the other thread that said

the cordon was incomplete, so this would fit. This also supports
the comments Aidoneus made elsewhere about al Sadr's improved
political standing.

The Roman's would not be meddling with the place as long as the
stipulated tribute was forthcoming.

[The Magistrate]

21. Indeed, My Friend

A. al'Sistani's absence from the country interests me greatly, too.

With the tribute in arrears, Romans would be meddling a damned sight more effectively. This administration is compose of creme-puffs masquerading as Kaiser rolls....

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[bemildred]

22. al Sistani

It does seem a bit convenient the way al Jazeera was kicked
out and al Sistani got heart palpitations right before this
boondoggle. Another fellow brought that up in GD a day or two
ago. There is a certain logic to it, al Sadr must be a bit of a
thorn in his side too, but who can say?

The whole thing smells a bit of desperation, now that I think
about it, of being in a hurry and under pressure to produce
"results".

[Aidoneus]

32. that's one thing I can't pin down here..

for all the cynicism I trust so dearly, I tend to take certain things too much at face value sometimes, so I may be wrong, but..

I have seen shots of Sistani(HA) in his London bed, he's not looking so hot. Some of his students and admirers at shiachat were worried at his appearance and very annoyed that his apparent weakness was displayed for the world to see. The timing is quite suspicious in the most suspicious of ways, but may not conceal much of a hidden plot, at least not from his end. The Baathists packed inside the Green Zone's sardine can might've pulled something, but I can't see how that'd be manged. I think the more interesting question is "Why London?".. plenty of intrigue there for such a small question.

I agree that the neo-Baathist puppet regime and their occupying masters saw their "opportunity" and made a desperate break for it. I don't think they expected it to be the Mahdi's Army getting showered with flowers and candies, tho'.. nice to see that obscure loose end from Act I show up to give an ironic slap. It seems slowly dawning that it is only the aggressors that will break by this move instead. How fast things are moving with this is astounding..

As for Sadr & Sistani on a personal level.. There was of course a period of friction where the both of them were aggressively staking out their turf after the old order had shattered, but since then the two appear to have worked out a sort of tacit understanding, much to the confused chagrin of some of their lieutenants. Their personal natures can compliment each another, in that one may comfortably act in a way that the other cannot. Sistani has sometimes seemed to shield him from SCIRI, among others, though Sistani's motives may just be keeping the peace rather than any personal concern. Or perhaps he still feels guilty about not doing a damn thing when the white beard was stained red and does not wish to let the tragedy repeat itself. :shrug:

[bemildred]

33. They do have great "good cop, bad cop" potential.

I too am reluctant to dump on al Sistani here, he has done yeoman
work in resisting the neocon's plans in other areas, and in fact
they have common interests politically, as is easy to see, so one
must resort to personal rivalries to explain any contest between
them.

Nevertheless, the number of coincidences supporting tinfoilhat
speculations (e.g. "He got an angioplasty, that won't leave a scar,
I bet it was faked.", you brought up going to Britain) is hard
to be sanguine about.

And al Sistani may have reasons to be more willing to work with
the Allawi gov't in the post-"sovereignty" situation, whereas it
appears al Sadr is not.

If you get any hints as to the attitude of the al Sistani camp
towards recent events vis-a-vis al Sadr I would appreciate hearing.

[bemildred]

18. Protesters across Mideast rally against U.S.

MANAMA, Bahrain - More than 2,500 people marched down a major highway in Bahrain today in an
angry but peaceful demonstration against more than a week of fighting in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf, many
shouting, "Death to America!" and "Death to Israel!"

Demonstrations also took place in Lebanon and Iran, where almost every major city held protests. A
crowd in the capital, Tehran, set afire American flags and an effigy of U.S. President George W. Bush.

In Manama, the late afternoon march brought traffic to a halt on one side of the highway leading to capital's commercial centre.

Marchers were led by Shiite clerics and followed a huge banner bearing a picture of Najaf's holy Imam Ali shrine, with a red cross through it and the
words, The Red Line, to signify where American troops should stop in their battle.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1092392587303&call_pageid=968256289824&col=968705899037

[skip fox]

23. Let's keep this before us a bit longer.

A couple of good threads on Najaf today. And this is the world's flashpoint for the next several days at least.

[Darranar]

24. Accepting these terms would be a disaster for the Bush Administration...

but they don't have very many options; their offensive seems to have failed, and continued fighting could well spark a huge Shi'ite uprising.

[Disturbed]

27. Damned if they do.

Damned if they don't. The US with it's Puppet Regime are in a no win situation. The Muslim World is being fueled by the action in Najaf, Faluja and other Iraqi cities. If the US keeps pounding these cities, killing and destroying property they are seen as brutal invaders. If they back down they are seen as appeasers. No win!

The US is playing to the American audience that is mostly ignorant about the sham "sovereignty". The rest of the world that is paying attention knows it is a sham and that the US is the colonizer. It won't play out in favor of the US because the Iraqi insurgency knows how to play the game of public opinion now. This is the age of TV and the Net.

The Hand-Over That Wasn't: Illegal Orders give the US a Lock on Iraq's Economy
by Antonia Juhasz

Officially, the U.S. occupation of Iraq ended on June 28, 2004. But in reality, the United States is still in charge: Not only do 138,000 troops remain to control the streets, but the "100 Orders" of L. Paul Bremer III remain to control the economy.

These little noticed orders enacted by Bremer, the now-departed head of the now-defunct Coalition Provisional Authority, go to the heart of Bush administration plans in Iraq. They lock in sweeping advantages to American firms, ensuring long-term U.S. economic advantage while guaranteeing few, if any, benefits to the Iraqi people.

The Bremer orders control every aspect of Iraqi life - from the use of car horns to the privatization of state-owned enterprises. Order No. 39 alone does no less than "transition from a … centrally planned economy to a market economy" virtually overnight and by U.S. fiat. Although many thought that the "end" of the occupation would also mean the end of the orders, on his last day in Iraq Bremer simply transferred authority for the orders to Prime Minister Iyad Allawi - a 30-year exile with close ties to the CIA and British intelligence.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0805-07.htm

[alcuno]

26. I'll say it again. Iraq parallels O'Henry's "The Ransom of Red Chief."

"Two Desperate Men.

Gentlemen: I received your letter to-day by post, in regard to the ransom you ask for the return of my son. I think you are a little high in your demands, and I hereby make you a counter-proposition, which I am inclined to believe you will accept. You bring Johnny home and pay me two hundred and fifty dollars in cash, and I agree to take him off your hands. You had better come at night, for the neighbours believe he is lost, and I couldn't be responsible for what they would do to anybody they saw bringing him back.

Very respectfully,
EBENEZER DORSET."

[bemildred]

28. Rebels claim Sadr is hurt and urge peace

Wonderfully funny headline here.
Some interesting details.

Edit: it is worth noticing here the pitch for al Sistani.

Iraqi government officials were trying to negotiate an end to the
uprising in Najaf yesterday as the US military relaxed its operations
against the Shia militia.

---

By the end of the day a large procession of hundreds of Mr Sadr's
supporters was allowed to march past the previous American
frontline through the city, kissing and embracing fighters, until they
reached the golden-domed Imam Ali shrine that has been the focus
of the uprising over the past nine days.

Thousands of Iraqis took to the streets of Baghdad and other cities
across the country, even in the Sunni heartland, yesterday to protest
against the attack on the holy city of Najaf.

UK Guardian

[bemildred]

29. Moqtada Sadr Lays Down Truce Terms

...

If all multinational forces, Iraqi police and soldiers leave Najaf and the Marjayia agrees to take responsibility for the city, ?the
Mehdi Army would pull out from Najaf?, Sumeisim said. But he stressed they would not disarm.

All basic services must be restored in Najaf, and Mehdi Army recognized as an ideological movement with its members allowed to
carry weapons for self-defense, Sumeisim said.

Those jailed for supporting the resistance, all imprisoned clerics and women must also be released from prison, the spokesman
added.

Resistance fighters must no longer be persecuted and Sadr?s organization should be allowed to decide for itself whether it becomes a
political movement, under the conditions.

Arab News

[bemildred]

30. Radical Iraqi cleric appears with bandages

NAJAF, Iraq, Aug 14 (Reuters) Radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada
al-Sadr appeared before his supporters wearing bandages late
yesterday, apparently confirming reports by aides that he had
been wounded in fighting earlier in the day.

Reuters footage showed Sadr at the Imam Ali shrine in the holy
city of Najaf with his right arm and hand bandaged. He was able
to hold a microphone in the hand, looked otherwise fit and was
dressed in his customary black headdress and robes.

Sadr spokesman Ahmad al-Shinabi said earlier the cleric had
been wounded in the chest, arm and leg at 4:30 a.m. (0600 ist) in
fighting around Najaf's cemetery yesterday.

But Falah al-Naqib, interior minister in Iraq's interim
government, denied Sadr had been wounded and said a truce had
been in force in Najaf since Thursday night.

deepikaglobal.com