General: Al-Sadr's fighters feel heat

**Ironduke** · 03-15-2007, 05:52 AM

Quote:

General: Al-Sadr's fighters feel heat

By Jim Michaels, USA TODAY

Coalition forces have detained about 700 members of the Mahdi Army, the largest Shiite militia in Baghdad, the top U.S. commander in Iraq said Monday.

The militia, which is loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and has clashed with U.S. troops in the past, has mostly avoided a direct confrontation with American and Iraqi government forces, Gen. David Petraeus said in an interview with USA TODAY.

Some of the militia's top leaders have left the capital, and Iraqi government officials are negotiating with al-Sadr's political organization in an effort to disband the militia, Petraeus said.

"I think in part one reason that al-Sadr's militia has been lying low … is due to some of the discussions being held," Petraeus said in a telephone interview from Iraq. "It's also in part due to some of the leaders leaving Baghdad" and others being arrested, he said.

U.S. and allied troops have arrested top-ranking and rank-and-file militia members during operations over the past several months, Petraeus said. Coalition forces are engaged in a major plan, devised in part by Petraeus, to limit sectarian and insurgent violence in Baghdad.

On Saturday, President Bush said he was sending 2,200 more military police to Iraq for detainee operations. A White House memo said 16,000 suspected insurgents are already being held by allied forces.

Fighting between Sunnis and Shiites has declined in some parts of Baghdad in recent weeks, the Pentagon has said, but Sunni insurgents have not slowed their bombings and other attacks. Sunday, a car bomb struck Shiite pilgrims in Karbala, killing at least 32.

Neutralizing Shiite militias when Sunnis are launching attacks may actually strengthen al-Sadr's position, said Vali Nasr, a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., and author of The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam Will Shape the Future. "The Shiites have become more convinced they need the militias to protect them."

"The Mahdi Army basically disappeared," he said. Sunni insurgents "have mounted a surge of their own."

The Mahdi Army may eventually seek to regain its authority by trying to "re-emerge as protectors of the Shiite population if Iraqi and American security forces" fail in making the Shiites feel safe, said Kalev Sepp, an instructor at the Naval Postgraduate School.

Petraeus, who took command last month, is leading an effort to reassert control in Baghdad by moving American forces off large bases and into smaller outposts throughout the capital. The outposts are manned by U.S. and Iraqi forces. Those forces have also been establishing a presence in Sadr City, a sprawling Shiite slum where al-Sadr draws much of his support.

U.S. troops are working closely with Iraqi security forces in Sadr City, Petraeus said. "We're going slowly there. We just want to keep nudging this forward in the constructive way that it has gone forward."

"Over time the Mahdi Army, as with all the militias, has to be disarmed, demobilized and reintegrated into society in some fashion," Petraeus said. The militia will not be allowed to join the Iraqi security forces as an organization, he said.

Al-Sadr has not been seen in public in recent weeks. The Pentagon said last month that he had fled to Iran, a claim denied by al-Sadr's supporters.

Source: General: Al-Sadr's fighters feel heat - USATODAY.com

ExNavyAmerican · 03-15-2007, 06:33 AM

Maybe, just maybe, the troop surge is working... Sorry to disappoint libs...

TheChosenOne · 03-15-2007, 06:35 AM

Also, a % of their members have come south of Baghdad to help train local AIF forces against CF in MND-CS and MND-SE to help them improve tactics and proficiency. Training the AIF to become more confident and familiar with their weapon system's and that is why in both of these MND area's, since the surge began, we have seen a huge influx in complex attacks and the effectiveness of the attacks.

TheChosenOne · 03-15-2007, 06:41 AM

Quote:

Maybe, just maybe, the troop surge is working... Sorry to disappoint libs...

It appears to be working to a degree in Baghdad. There has been a quell in secratarian violence on the side of the militia's. But the Sunni's continue to hold steady on their attacks as with AQ and other insurgent groups.

The militia melted away there and have sprouted up in other areas more vulnerable. Diwaniyiah has become a hot spot over the past few weeks. Nearly all bases south of Baghdad have seen a influx in violence against them.

This is no suprise to me. It's what they have been doing and will continue to do. Avoid confrontation and attack weaker targets to avoid being captured or killed. Typical guerilla warfare.

**Ironduke** · 03-15-2007, 06:53 AM

There's a newstory out about the militia, insurgents, and terrorists shifting to a new tactic... mass arson. I'll have to track it down.

dalem · 03-15-2007, 14:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheChosenOne

It appears to be working to a degree in Baghdad.

That's where it is directed and intended to work. No need for qualification.

-dale

TheChosenOne · 03-17-2007, 04:54 AM

Quote:

That's where it is directed and intended to work. No need for qualification.

Actually I believe qualification is needed. My statement displays a real time accurate report from a soldier on the ground who can verify that it does appear to be working. But the way the statement is worded depicts that that may not be the case in the future. Only time will tell. So for now, the best one can say is it 'appears'.

03-15-2007, 06:33 AM	#2 (permalink)
ExNavyAmerican *Military Professional* Join Date: 03-02-07 Location: Ningbo, China Posts: 827 Country:	Maybe, just maybe, the troop surge is working... Sorry to disappoint libs... __________________ "I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever." - Thomas Jefferson

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03-15-2007, 06:35 AM	#3 (permalink)
TheChosenOne *Military Professional* Join Date: 01-12-07 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 142	Also, a % of their members have come south of Baghdad to help train local AIF forces against CF in MND-CS and MND-SE to help them improve tactics and proficiency. Training the AIF to become more confident and familiar with their weapon system's and that is why in both of these MND area's, since the surge began, we have seen a huge influx in complex attacks and the effectiveness of the attacks.

03-15-2007, 06:53 AM	#5 (permalink)
Ironduke Burgomaster Join Date: 08-02-03 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 6,867 Country:	There's a newstory out about the militia, insurgents, and terrorists shifting to a new tactic... mass arson. I'll have to track it down.

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