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http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/21/wo...21baghdad.html
Iraqi Troops in Push to Regain Control of Sadr City
By MICHAEL R. GORDON and STEPHEN FARRELL
BAGHDAD — Iraqi troops pushed deep into Sadr City Tuesday as the Iraqi government sought to establish control over the densely populated Shia enclave in the Iraqi capital.
The long-awaited military operation, which took place without the involvement of American ground forces, was the first determined effort by the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to assert control over the sprawling Baghdad neighborhood, which has been a bastion of support for Moktada al-Sadr, the rebel cleric.
The operation comes in the wake of the government’s offensive in Basra, which for the time being seems to have pacified the southern Iraqi city and restored government control.
By midday in Baghdad, Iraqi forces had driven to a key thoroughfare that bisects Sadr City and taken up positions near hospitals, police stations and the political headquarters of Mr. Sadr. There was no significant resistance.
By early Tuesday afternoon, the Iraqi Army was stationed in large numbers in many — but not all parts — of the district.
Numerous Iraqi tanks and armored personnel carriers were parked on street corners, relaxed-looking soldiers sleeping in their vehicles or looking out onto the street through steel hatches.
The Iraqi flag was flying from the army vehicles in many areas of Sadr City that had been under the control of the Shia militias.
Other soldiers manned checkpoints, some chatting with children. There were no visible signs of the Mahdi Army, although many walls bore posters of Mr. Sadr, and they seemed to have been put up in the last few days.
Many of the walls also bore the marks of bullets and shells from the fighting over the past couple of months.
The stage for the operation in Sadr City was set weeks ago. Shiite militias began firing rockets at the Green Zone from Sadr City in late March in response to the offensive in Basra.
As a result, American and Iraqi forces moved into the two southernmost sectors of Sadr City — Thawra and Jamila — to try to stop the rocket firing and assert control. The American military later built a wall along Al Quds Street in an effort to turn these southern areas of Sadr City into a safe zone.
But that left the question of how to regain control of the rest of Sadr City from the militias, who continued to lob rockets and mortars from the area.
An Iraqi plan to mount an offensive was developed but shelved after negotiations between representatives from the Sadr movement and Shiite politicians led to a cease-fire accord.
That agreement permitted Iraqi troops to move throughout Sadr City. But a wide-variety of militias have operated in Sadr City, and it was unclear if the Iraqi troops would encounter resistance from well-armed Mahdi Army fighters, militias loyal to Mr. Sadr, or what the American military has dubbed Iranian-backed “Special Groups.”
The timing of today’s operation was kept secret. Late Monday night, the Americans removed several slabs in the concrete wall they had erected so that Iraqi forces could pass through. American M1 tanks guarded the gaps throughout the rest of the night until the offensive began.
As dawn broke, long columns of Iraqi armored personnel carriers, tanks and trucks drove toward the gaps in the concrete, some flying the Iraqi flag. Iraqi soldiers also went through on foot.
Shortly after 5 a.m. the Iraqi forces began to move north across Al Quds Street, moving into an area that had been a battleground less than a week ago.
There had been reports that the area north of Al Quds had been lined with roadside bombs. Snipers had also prowled the area. But the Iraqi troops moved forward without any major incidents.
All told, six Iraqi battalions advanced north. At full strength, an Iraqi battalion numbers about 700 troops.
The Iraqi forces quickly assumed positions at a main thoroughfare and near major hospitals and police stations. Two companies ventured even further north to secure the Iman Ali hospital and two other sites.
No American ground forces accompanied the Iraqi troops, not even military advisers. But the Americans shared intelligence, coached the Iraqis during the planning and provided overhead reconnaissance throughout the operation. Still, the operation was very much an Iraqi plan.
By late Tuesday, the atmosphere among Iraqi commanders was one of relief. But the operation was still in its early stages and ongoing. Iraqi troops still had more ground to cover, and they were expected to begin a systematic search for arms that will likely take weeks.
On the streets in Sadr City north of Al Quds Street, the mood was calm, as scores of Iraqi Army tanks, Humvees, armored cars and personnel carriers — all flying the Iraqi flag — took up positions on street corners in the heart of the district, which had been controlled by the Mahdi Army militia.
Of the Mahdi fighters there was no visible sign, but the arriving Iraqi Army troops were greeted with a profusion of freshly printed posters of Moktada al-Sadr, hung on walls and streetlights in even greater numbers than usual.
American helicopters circled over a heavy Iraqi military presence around former Mahdi Army centers of activity like the Sadr Office and the Jamela market, and around the Imam Ali and Sadr hospitals.
At the Imam Ali hospital, staff members reported no deaths or casualties on Tuesday, but they grumbled that the army had moved into the top floors of the hospital and demanded keys to gain access to the roof.
Doctors said they had received 300 bodies and 1,400 wounded over the last two months of fighting, with another 300 dead received by their colleagues at the Sadr Hospital.
Some residents were surprised to have woken up to the sudden arrival of tanks on their streets. Others who had followed the progress of the political deal-making said they knew it was only a matter of time before the army moved in.
Few people in the district said they expected imminent clashes, the general view being that the Mahdi Army had already moved its weapons and senior leadership out of Sadr City and was content to let the Iraqi Army search the area.
The tanks were a magnet for young children, who gathered around the heavy armor chatting and begging drinks from soldiers. By mid-afternoon, the soldiers had relaxed enough to lounge on top of their tanks and talk on mobile telephones, or to nap inside the vehicles.
At one hardware store in the Gayara district, where there were scarcely any soldiers, Ahmed Qathem, 25, said he welcomed the army’s arrival in Sadr City.
“It is good for our security,” he said. “The last few months have been very bad because of the bullets and the rockets everywhere. It wasn’t easy for us.”
With residents having to contend with both the still-powerful Mahdi Army and newly arrived Iraqi Army, there was a noticeable reluctance to apportion blame for the two months of fighting.
“I know nothing about this, I can’t talk,” said Mohammed Saalem, a storekeeper.
“I can’t say who is responsible — all over the world, things like this happen,” said Abu Huda, 42, a tailor. “Politics is a very big sea, so I can’t say.”
In one street pharmacy, Mazen Abdul Ritha, 25, said it was too early to tell which side would prevail in Sadr City.
“People are kind of scared, because they expect the Mahdi Army will attack the army,” he said. “They expect some trouble. If the army finds a Mahdi Army commander and kills him, clashes will happen.”
He said there was already a suspicion among residents that the army was satisfied with searching the houses of ordinary people, but did not dare to enter the houses of powerful Mahdi figures.
“The Mahdi Army are the sons of their city, so we mingle with them every day,” he said. “Everybody comes here, everybody talks, everybody knows what is happening.
“Today it is obviously the Iraqi Army which is in control. But what happens in the coming days if there are clashes? If they kill anyone from the Mahdi Army and there is fighting, then it will be clear who is in control.”
By MICHAEL R. GORDON and STEPHEN FARRELL
BAGHDAD — Iraqi troops pushed deep into Sadr City Tuesday as the Iraqi government sought to establish control over the densely populated Shia enclave in the Iraqi capital.
The long-awaited military operation, which took place without the involvement of American ground forces, was the first determined effort by the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to assert control over the sprawling Baghdad neighborhood, which has been a bastion of support for Moktada al-Sadr, the rebel cleric.
The operation comes in the wake of the government’s offensive in Basra, which for the time being seems to have pacified the southern Iraqi city and restored government control.
By midday in Baghdad, Iraqi forces had driven to a key thoroughfare that bisects Sadr City and taken up positions near hospitals, police stations and the political headquarters of Mr. Sadr. There was no significant resistance.
By early Tuesday afternoon, the Iraqi Army was stationed in large numbers in many — but not all parts — of the district.
Numerous Iraqi tanks and armored personnel carriers were parked on street corners, relaxed-looking soldiers sleeping in their vehicles or looking out onto the street through steel hatches.
The Iraqi flag was flying from the army vehicles in many areas of Sadr City that had been under the control of the Shia militias.
Other soldiers manned checkpoints, some chatting with children. There were no visible signs of the Mahdi Army, although many walls bore posters of Mr. Sadr, and they seemed to have been put up in the last few days.
Many of the walls also bore the marks of bullets and shells from the fighting over the past couple of months.
The stage for the operation in Sadr City was set weeks ago. Shiite militias began firing rockets at the Green Zone from Sadr City in late March in response to the offensive in Basra.
As a result, American and Iraqi forces moved into the two southernmost sectors of Sadr City — Thawra and Jamila — to try to stop the rocket firing and assert control. The American military later built a wall along Al Quds Street in an effort to turn these southern areas of Sadr City into a safe zone.
But that left the question of how to regain control of the rest of Sadr City from the militias, who continued to lob rockets and mortars from the area.
An Iraqi plan to mount an offensive was developed but shelved after negotiations between representatives from the Sadr movement and Shiite politicians led to a cease-fire accord.
That agreement permitted Iraqi troops to move throughout Sadr City. But a wide-variety of militias have operated in Sadr City, and it was unclear if the Iraqi troops would encounter resistance from well-armed Mahdi Army fighters, militias loyal to Mr. Sadr, or what the American military has dubbed Iranian-backed “Special Groups.”
The timing of today’s operation was kept secret. Late Monday night, the Americans removed several slabs in the concrete wall they had erected so that Iraqi forces could pass through. American M1 tanks guarded the gaps throughout the rest of the night until the offensive began.
As dawn broke, long columns of Iraqi armored personnel carriers, tanks and trucks drove toward the gaps in the concrete, some flying the Iraqi flag. Iraqi soldiers also went through on foot.
Shortly after 5 a.m. the Iraqi forces began to move north across Al Quds Street, moving into an area that had been a battleground less than a week ago.
There had been reports that the area north of Al Quds had been lined with roadside bombs. Snipers had also prowled the area. But the Iraqi troops moved forward without any major incidents.
All told, six Iraqi battalions advanced north. At full strength, an Iraqi battalion numbers about 700 troops.
The Iraqi forces quickly assumed positions at a main thoroughfare and near major hospitals and police stations. Two companies ventured even further north to secure the Iman Ali hospital and two other sites.
No American ground forces accompanied the Iraqi troops, not even military advisers. But the Americans shared intelligence, coached the Iraqis during the planning and provided overhead reconnaissance throughout the operation. Still, the operation was very much an Iraqi plan.
By late Tuesday, the atmosphere among Iraqi commanders was one of relief. But the operation was still in its early stages and ongoing. Iraqi troops still had more ground to cover, and they were expected to begin a systematic search for arms that will likely take weeks.
On the streets in Sadr City north of Al Quds Street, the mood was calm, as scores of Iraqi Army tanks, Humvees, armored cars and personnel carriers — all flying the Iraqi flag — took up positions on street corners in the heart of the district, which had been controlled by the Mahdi Army militia.
Of the Mahdi fighters there was no visible sign, but the arriving Iraqi Army troops were greeted with a profusion of freshly printed posters of Moktada al-Sadr, hung on walls and streetlights in even greater numbers than usual.
American helicopters circled over a heavy Iraqi military presence around former Mahdi Army centers of activity like the Sadr Office and the Jamela market, and around the Imam Ali and Sadr hospitals.
At the Imam Ali hospital, staff members reported no deaths or casualties on Tuesday, but they grumbled that the army had moved into the top floors of the hospital and demanded keys to gain access to the roof.
Doctors said they had received 300 bodies and 1,400 wounded over the last two months of fighting, with another 300 dead received by their colleagues at the Sadr Hospital.
Some residents were surprised to have woken up to the sudden arrival of tanks on their streets. Others who had followed the progress of the political deal-making said they knew it was only a matter of time before the army moved in.
Few people in the district said they expected imminent clashes, the general view being that the Mahdi Army had already moved its weapons and senior leadership out of Sadr City and was content to let the Iraqi Army search the area.
The tanks were a magnet for young children, who gathered around the heavy armor chatting and begging drinks from soldiers. By mid-afternoon, the soldiers had relaxed enough to lounge on top of their tanks and talk on mobile telephones, or to nap inside the vehicles.
At one hardware store in the Gayara district, where there were scarcely any soldiers, Ahmed Qathem, 25, said he welcomed the army’s arrival in Sadr City.
“It is good for our security,” he said. “The last few months have been very bad because of the bullets and the rockets everywhere. It wasn’t easy for us.”
With residents having to contend with both the still-powerful Mahdi Army and newly arrived Iraqi Army, there was a noticeable reluctance to apportion blame for the two months of fighting.
“I know nothing about this, I can’t talk,” said Mohammed Saalem, a storekeeper.
“I can’t say who is responsible — all over the world, things like this happen,” said Abu Huda, 42, a tailor. “Politics is a very big sea, so I can’t say.”
In one street pharmacy, Mazen Abdul Ritha, 25, said it was too early to tell which side would prevail in Sadr City.
“People are kind of scared, because they expect the Mahdi Army will attack the army,” he said. “They expect some trouble. If the army finds a Mahdi Army commander and kills him, clashes will happen.”
He said there was already a suspicion among residents that the army was satisfied with searching the houses of ordinary people, but did not dare to enter the houses of powerful Mahdi figures.
“The Mahdi Army are the sons of their city, so we mingle with them every day,” he said. “Everybody comes here, everybody talks, everybody knows what is happening.
“Today it is obviously the Iraqi Army which is in control. But what happens in the coming days if there are clashes? If they kill anyone from the Mahdi Army and there is fighting, then it will be clear who is in control.”