In a new, not so good turn of events, religious leader turned warlord Muqtada al-Sadr seized complete control of Amarah in the south of Iraq. if anyone wondered if we were in civil war over there...i think you now have your answer. when organized groups that are not part of the government start seizing control of cities...well, that's civil war in anyone's book.
About 800 black-clad militiamen with Kalashnikov rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers were patrolling city streets in commandeered police vehicles, eyewitnesses said. Other fighters had set up roadblocks on routes into the city and sound trucks circulated telling residents to stay indoors.This is an area where al-Sadr's men have long had freedom to act as they pleased. This not being enough, they now have outright control of the city.
Fighting broke out in Amara on Thursday after the head of police intelligence in the surrounding province, a member of the rival Shiite Badr Brigade militia, was killed by a roadside bomb, prompting his family to kidnap the teenage brother of the local head of the a-Madhi Army.
The Mahdi Army seized several police stations and clamped a curfew on the city in retaliation.
2 comments:
Do you have the eerie feeling that the whole world is a scene from a Monty Python movie?
it is being reported today that the US Army is starting its last go at securing baghdad. i found it strange to hear that from the military leadership when those decisions are made by politicians. either the choices have been made and they are lying about it, or these guys are speaking out of turn.
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