Curfew Declared in Embattled Baghdad Suburb (Sadr City, 4 p.m. to 8 a.m.)

[Barrett808]

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's interim government imposed a curfew on a Shi'ite suburb of Baghdad Monday because of fighting between U.S. forces and militiamen, an interior ministry source said.
The curfew would be in force from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. "until further notice due to the troubles in the area," the source said.

Fighters loyal to radical Shi'ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr have clashed with U.S. and Iraqi forces in Sadr City, a sprawling slum home to two million, for the past five days.

Dozens have been killed. Over the same period Sadr's followers have been battling U.S. forces in the holy city of Najaf to the south, with hundreds killed.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5910179

[daleo]

1. Let freedom reign

What was the war about again? An earlier story said they were shutting down the Basra oil fields, and now this - things must be at a boil.

[AngryWhiteLiberal]

2. I called it three days ago - THIS IS WHY Al-JAZEERA WAS BANNED

They're getting ready to go after Al-Sadr at the MOST holy site in all of Shite Muslumhood...no embarrassing pictures or video of them bombing or shooting up a holy site or killing innocent bystanders.

Make no mistake about it. This is a MAJOR push to pacify the Iraqi situation in time for the election. Bush and his Iraqi puppet government know that the Nov. election hinges on how well the Iraqi situation is viewed by the American public.

JB

[Nambe]

3. Yikes! Population explosion. Lots of new little militiamen!

Holy Shi'ite, what are they thinking. 4 PM to 8 AM. That is overwhelming. At best it will move the fighting into other more populated areas that would be much more difficult to control.

I thought Bremmer was doing a bad job but obviously, things can be and are worse.

[0007]

4. Does the curfew apply to the U.S. as well as the Iraqis?

I didn't think!!