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From: William Bowles
Subject: Iraq: As the Media Takes Its Lenses Off -
Iraq Explodes Once Again Into Full War 05/08/04
Date: 05/08/2004
http://www.williambowles.info/iraq/full_war.html
News and opinions on situation in Iraq
05/08/04 As the Media Takes Its Lenses Off Š Iraq Explodes
Once Again Into Full WarŠ
(TMPress International - New York - August 5, 2004) - As the
Media Takes Its Lenses Off Š Iraq Explodes Once Again Into
Full War Š As the U.S. military begins to launch attacks in
and around the regions of Fallujah, and fights in Baqouba and
Ramadi, all over again - and as reported the other day. Now
Najaf Š south to Basra Š and north to Mosul Š Iraq explodes
into full war - once again.
Out of shear stupidity or direct posturing and sensing an
opportunity U.S. and British forces, with the help of their
shaky Iraqi colleagues tried not only to capture Mahdi army
leaders - but actually tried to surprise capture the powerful
Shi'ite Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in Najaf, while British forces
tried to round up Shiite militia leaders in Basra. Why -
because he has become the most popular citizen in Iraq with
any credibility and may contend for the PM or Presidency post,
when the Iraqis have national elections - supposedly this
January 2005, but even now that seems iffy with PM Allawi's
tight-grip on whatever power he has from the fortified `Green
Zone.'
The fighting in Najaf began early in the morning when
al-Sadr's Mahdi army attacked a police station in response to
the U.S. Marines secret attempt at nabbing Sadr earlier in the
week. Najaf positions in the Revolution of 1920 Square were
hit with mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and Kalashnikov
rifles, while Najaf's governor, Adnan al-Zurufi, told the
Al-Jazeera satellite channel that the U.S. Marines intervened
`to help the policemen protect the police stations and the
city.' But there is some debate exactly what the U.S. Marines
were doing earlier in the week when they approached a
residential compound where Sadr was a guest. Armed militias
attacked the police station and during the battle, a UH-1
helicopter was hit and crashed. The crew was hurt and
evacuated to safety, but the Najaf fighting is the fiercest in
weeks and threatens a fragile cease-fire between the Mahdi
army and Coalition forces or I guess they are now called
Multinational forces (99% American).
Farther north, a series of running battles between U.S. backed
Iraqi National Guard and insurgents in the city of Mosul
killed 14 civilians and eight guerilla fighters. The U.S.
military said Thursday that 17 people had been killed and 47
wounded. Authorities also clamped a curfew on the area and
sealed off bridges into the city to try and restore order. The
fighting was the heaviest Mosul has seen in months, according
to local authorities and the U.S. military.
To the far south in Basra, militiamen loyal to Sadr threatened
Thursday to attack British forces in the area unless they
freed four men detained in a raid on al-Sadr's party's office
in Basra two days before. Their spokesman in Basra, Salam
al-Maliki predicted that the Mahdi army will confront the
British forces, enter the city and take over important
government buildings - this after several Mahdi army members
were rounded up and detained by the British. Sheikh Saad
al-Basri, another of Sadr's high representatives in the
overwhelmingly Shiite city said - that if forced to Š `that
they will wage jihad (holy war) and war against the foreign
troops, not against police and Iraqi forces - however the
Sheikh made it clear that if they (Iraqi police) fight on the
side of the occupiers, they would not differentiate and strike
them harshly.' Basri also accused British forces of arresting
four Sadr supporters in order to `create in Basra, the state
of crisis that exists in Najaf.'
The British said they hadn't received a formal ultimatum, but
said said that the men had been detained for further
questioning. Iraqi police said that al-Sadr's militia forces
had detained Iraqi police officers working with the British in
those raids, apparently to use as leverage to force British
authorities to release other Mahdi army leaders. The Basra
based group denied the Coalition accusations, saying police
were provoking al-Sadr's supporters by trying to arrest some
of the group's leaders.
So, I say again - the media coverage has been lowered or
suffered from very little reporting stateside and on the
`tabloid TV news channels' Š just as it appears the new
American-installed Iraqi Interim Government rises Š it also
appears to be crumbling as a central authority - because of
that in-built illegitimacy. Reporters and analysts still in
the country report that nothing is governed outside the
so-called `Green Zone' in Baghdad and throughout the Iraqi
country-side and indeed they now govern at the point of a gun,
tanks and armored columns of U.S. military vehicles!
Mr. Bremer and Mr. Brahimi have left, but really the CPA still
rules on Š in the form of Mr. Negroponte, as he takes over
from the new U.S. Supraembassy Š nothing will change and the
GIs have come back to support the failing Iraqi Security
Forces in the Sunni Triangle and throughout Iraq - once again!
We have already seen it - and it is happening at this very
moment! The U.S. military actions will grow in size and scope
and the Sunni zones aren't the only zones U.S. troops will be
in combat as the Summer of 2004 progresses into the Fall of
2004, all over Iraq - but yet the press reports will die down,
as we have seen - and it will be as Vietnam, slowly
insidiously took place - high expectations of success, while
sucking the blood of our youth and our more adult-reservists
in this country and why? Because of 9/11 or because of oil or
because of so-called terrorists or fake WMD, maybe dictators -
there will be many reasons and we will still not know why? -
By John Osborne, Sr. Political Editor - TMPress International
Newswire.
(c) 2004 TMPress International Newswire. Reprint granted
without fee or license, please feel free to query for reprint
permission.
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