Sadr defiant amid clashes near holy city

[UpInArms]

http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=4870374

KUFA, Iraq (Reuters) - Blasts have shaken Iraq's holy Shi'ite town of Kufa after militiamen loyal to anti-U.S. cleric Moqtada al-Sadr
said they ambushed a convoy of vehicles from an American force that is building up nearby.

"I saw at least two Humvees on fire and we also attacked armoured personnel carriers," said one fighter in the town adjacent to
Najaf, home to the holiest Shi'ite shrines and where Sadr has been hiding from U.S. forces ordered to kill or capture him.

"We attacked them again, but then they started mortaring our position so we had to retreat," said the man, clad in the black
uniform of Sadr's Mehdi Army militia, as columns of smoke rose above the town and militiamen tried to evacuate at least two
wounded colleagues across a bridge.

Defiant at Friday prayers in Kufa, Sadr said he would not disband his militia under any circumstances "because I did not create it
on my own but with the cooperation of the Iraqi people".

...more...

[saigon68]

1. Krazy Killer Kimmitt is going to OFF Moqtada al-Sadr

They can't let him live. He is everything evil in the NeoCon Mind and pliable Lap Dogs like Kimmitt and Sanchez will order their people to execute him-- without quarter, without fail.

[JeebusH]

2. but, but the papers here say that Sadr is backing down ....

why do we have to go overseas to know what's happening

[BostonTeaParty04]

3. Sadr is one fierce foe.....

He is really messing with the egos of some pretty nutty guys... krazy killer kimmit and slaughtering sanchez to be exact..

Seems the US likes to decimate the opposition on weekends... it's about that time.

I wonder, can the US soldiers get a grasp for how insane this is? Or are they so 'on the inside' that their perspective is marred?

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Neither

US Soldiers, startign with the Commanders, are subject to Civilian oversight... when the civilians are nuts, you get crazy plans implemented by the soldiers.

And no I am not justifyng this. The US Military has no choice, but Bush and Rummy (as well as Wolfie and Bolton) have no clue of what they are about to unleash. Have they had a clue from word GO? For them this is an acadmic exercise, and a computer simulation. For the soldiers, they have to try to do this, with as few casualties as they can...

Now I know this is hard for many folks, but DON'T blame the troops, you may blame some of the upper level officers.. but don't blame the troops. The fault of all of this resides with teh evil at 1700 Pennsilvania... and his cronies.

[cliss]

5. It's amazing....

that it's come to this. The US is out assassinating people for their religious beliefs. My brain still refuses to connect what is happening.

This country was founded on fighting for what it believed in. This included religious, tax and economic freedom from the oppressors in England.

I've really run out of words today....

[jmcgowanjm]

6. Let's see, the US and Israeli positions are now identical

Yasin was murdered, rather than arrested.

Collective punshment in Fallujah.

The military refuses to listen to Bremer(assuming Bremer
does not want to do this-big assumption)

We have nowhere near enough resources on the ground.

And now we're going into the holiest Shia Shrine-
think Vatican, w/ tanks, helos, gunships.

Operation Infinite Justice Crusade for Oil
and a Greater Israel -This title posted outside the
Green Zone should incite
the last of the Iraqi's w/ any qualms against
attacking USsoldiers.

Even Chalabi was quoted as backing away, ever so slightly,
from his American patrons over Sadr and Fallujah. This
won't save his life when the mobs come for him on July 1, but
it is a sign that this has all gone too far.

http://stevegilliard.blogspot.com/