Iraq Says Forces May Raid Najaf Compound

[Halliburton]

NAJAF, Iraq - Iraqi troops could raid Najaf's holy Imam Ali Shrine as early as Wednesday in a final push to root out Shiite militants hiding there while they battle U.S. forces, Iraqi Defense Minister Hazem Shaalan said.

That announcement came one day after an eight-man delegation sent to Najaf by Iraq (news - web sites)'s ongoing National Conference failed to negotiate an end to a nearly two-week uprising by militants loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.


The delegates met with al-Sadr's aides Tuesday but not the cleric himself, who is believed to be hiding out in the shrine.


"Today is a day to set this compound free from its imprisonment and its vile occupation," Shaalan told the Arab-language television station Al-Arabiya.


State Minister Qassim Dawoud said the planned raid on the shrine would send a message to insurgents throughout the country.


"This will be a civilized lesson for those in Fallujah, Samarra, Mosul, Yusufiyah or Basra. Their is no lenience ... with those people," he said.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040818/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_defense_minister&cid=540&ncid=1480

[jpgray]

1. Reporters will be shot on sight

Their idea of 'civilized' is alien to me.

[Junkdrawer]

2. Two things: #1 HOLY SHIT..

#2 Without reporters, who's to say Iraqi or US forces performs the raid?

[jpgray]

3. Well, if you remember the 'wedding incident' a few weeks back

Eyewitness accounts are routinely discounted in favor of Pentagon press releases here--what really matters to the media (and even this doesn't matter much) is photographic or video evidence. You'll note that Abu Ghraib was nothing until photos were released, and now the true horrors of that place are now carefully ignored, and the lack of new photos is a reason that is possible.

[leftchick]

5. There are no "Iraqi Forces"... it is BS!

This is a complete US Military operation with the go ahead from the Iraqi Puppet regime in Baghdad plain and simple. That is why it will not be reported..... :grr:

[Junkdrawer]

7. Kind of obvious, huh?

There will be no American intervention in this regard. The only American intervention would be aerial protection and also securing some of the roads that lead to the compound," Shaalan said on Al-Arabiya.

"As for entering the compound, it will be 100 percent Iraqis. Our sons in the national guard have been trained on the breaking-in operation, which was easy for them."


As we said as kids, "There's no shit in this sandwich".

[Junkdrawer]

4. Kick

:kick:

[tlcandie]

6. Might? This was the plan from a long time ago...

they just had to worry with the minor details of reporters. Once the cameras are gone, who will know? The dead tell no tales. :cry:

Again, I repeat, scorched earth policy.

EDIT: And YES, it will be the US not the Iraqis who do the killing.