Al-Sadr Calls for Anti-U.S. Attacks

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-iraq,1,7982944.story

By SAAD ABDUL KADIR
Associated Press Writer
Published April 8, 2007, 8:02 AM CDT


BAGHDAD -- The renegade cleric Muqtada al-Sadr urged Iraqi forces to stop cooperating with the United States and told his guerrilla fighters to concentrate their attacks on American troops rather than Iraqis, according to a statement issued Sunday.

The statement, stamped with al-Sadr's official seal, was distributed in the Shiite holy city of Najaf on Sunday -- a day before a large demonstration there, called for by al-Sadr, to mark the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad.

"You, the Iraqi army and police forces, don't walk alongside the occupiers, because they are your archenemy," the statement said. Its authenticity could not be verified.

In the statement, al-Sadr -- who commands an enormous following among Iraq's majority Shiites and has close allies in the Shiite-dominated government -- also encouraged his followers to attack only American forces, not fellow Iraqis.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. See? They won't fight us over here. They'll keep it in Iraq.

:sarcasm:

[indie_voter]

2. FUBAR

[still_one]

3. Sadr has a militia, this could accelerate the violence in a large way

This did not happen in a vacuum. It was only a couple of days ago we went into some Shia towns

[leftchick]

5. The US has been conducting air strikes all week against Iraqis

killing civilians with impunity. Sadr City being just one of many targets.

[sniffa]

4. i'm gLad we're there

other wise, the mahdi army wouLd invade us.

[tocqueville]

6. This is the beginning of the end

This is the worse case scenario for the US. If al-Sadr means business (and I think he does) it means that about 60% of the Iraqi population will rise. It means that the best trained militia in Iraq will attack the US forces, while they weren't doing it so far, concentrating on the Sunnis. It means that the US will be attacked by BOTH Sunnis and Shias.

It means that at the end of the summer the US will be packing home. It might be good news, but at what price ?

It means a military defeat for the US that will overshadow Vietnam's, maybe with terrible losses.

It means that Kurdistan will separate, it means a bloody civil war when the US have left and a probable victory of an Iranian friendly Islamic republic.

It means possible intervention from the Saudis

It means a completely different rapport of forces in the ME, not to the West's advantage, at least in the short term (the' repercussions on the oil market are unpredictable).

It means more power to Russia and China

heck of a job, Dubya

[TwilightGardener]

7. I have been afraid for a while that Iraqi anti-American sentiment will

reach a tipping point, and then all of our troops concentrated in Baghdad will be sitting ducks. Not good at all.