Endgame in Najaf?

[0rion]

Juan Cole

From Arabic and English radio and television broadcasts, including al-Jazeerah:

The Marines have completely surrounded Najaf and cut off all the roads leading into the shrine of Imam Ali (Shiite Islam's St. Peter). US warplanes bombarded positions in the vast Valley of Peace cemetery (2 million graves) again today. At one point Marines entered the house of Muqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shiite leader, but of course found him gone. Al-Jazeerah's crawl is talking about continued fighting in the vicinity of the house. The US appears to have decided not to send the Marines into the shrine of Imam Ali, but an Iraqi force instead.

Endgame in Najaf?

[pocket]

1. another Falluja-style genocide in the making?

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[David Dunham]

2. The Iraqi resistance movement will not let up until we leave.