A cease-fire is in place to end the about six-week long battle in Sadr City _ a cease-fire that doesn't seem to be sticking. In the vast Shiite slum in northeast Baghdad the U.S. military and the Iraqi Security Forces are entrenched in an urban war with the Mahdi Army.
On Sunday the fighting was supposed to stop. But today the Iraqi Security Forces raided a Sadr office in the northwest of Baghdad, the Mahdi Army attacked a checkpoint in a nearby neighborhood and the U.S. military got caught in a gun battle. A U.S. air strike killed five and injured four people, hospitals in Sadr City reported. The military confirmed that one U.S. air strike was conducted. Fifteen other people were wounded and a child was run over by an Iraqi Humvee, the hospitals said. A U.S. soldier was killed in a roadside bomb blast in northwest Baghdad.
The militia doesn't seem to be standing down even with Muqtada al Sadr's approval of the agreement that would bring an end to the fighting.
“I’m still a little bit cautious they are out of control and nobody will control them,” Tahseen al Sheikhly, the civil spokesman for the Baghdad Operation Command said. “They are threatening the people and even threatening the Mahdi Army themselves…We have to wait and see for four days what will happen”
Sadrists are in danger of losing their base as families continue to flee. More than 8,500 families have been displaced from the more than 2 million people in Sadr City. More than 400 families are sleeping in tents in a football stadium in Baghdad, afraid to return home despite the agreement. But tents are not a true count because most people flee to cousins, brothers and tribesmen who open their homes to their families. The death toll inside the Sadr stronghold is about 1,000 people and more than 2,000 have been wounded in the district of 2.5 million.
The U.S. military continues to build a wall to isolate the southern edge of Sadr City where they have Joint Security Stations and their soldiers are holed up in abandon homes. Every time they continue to build the wall militants shoot at them and gun battles ensued.
It doesn't seem to be over just yet.
"the U.S. military got caught in a gun battle"
They would not be "caught" if they were where they are supposed to be - at home defending their country. But instead, they are out there protecting multi-national oil corporations right to make profits NO MATTER WHAT.
Maybe I am wrong, but I think the more the US attacks Sadr's guys, the more support he will have among his "base". At least, that's how it usually works. For example, instead of vilifying bush for failing to protect the American people on 9/11, the vast majority of the country rallied around him. Another example is Israel's attack on Lebanon in 2006 - they thought by killing off all those civilians and destroying their homes, they would weaken support for Hezbollah - instead, it turned out just the opposite. And then there are the Palestinians - decades of attacks and brutal treatment, and they still support Hamas.
People are the same the world over, and bombing them does not translate into supporting or liking the bombers.
Posted by: Susan | May 13, 2008 at 09:22 PM
I would guess the Iraqis are in two minds about the Americans. On the one hand, they realize matters may become much worse if they suddenly left, but at the same time resent them being there as occupiers. I wonder how many Iraqis realize the real truth, that US forces will be in Iraq permanently.
Posted by: R J Adams | May 13, 2008 at 09:37 PM
Hi Leila,
Thanks again for keeping us informed about the conditions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the other 130 sovereign nations that have illegitimate occupying forces in them. We find it inconceivable and inexcusable that so many are willing to support and participate in these occupations. Even more alarming is the fact that, if the situation were reversed, those same supporters would be horrified.Why do these human beings support what amounts to murder squads sent around the globe to establish and maintain the military-industrial complex?
When will we learn?
Will the criminal elite in the U.S. government demand that foreign mercenaries under the command of the U.N. occupy America as she falls, once again, into civil war?
Will the criminal elite be held responsible for the insidious theft of a fiat currency that stands on the brink of extinction?
Will the American people wake up to the bondage they have willingly placed themselves in by being subservient to corporate fictions made all-powerful by the state under color of law?
Will they finally become students and advocates of the Non-Aggression Principle as Individual Sovereign Human Beings with Basic Inherent Inalienable Irrevocable Individual Human Rights?
Will they recognize, understand, and extend the right to be left alone to each and every other human being on the planet?Will they come to the correct conclusion that what they sew, so shall they reap?
Will they understand the aggression/force/fraud of the mainstream media, in concert with the Council on Foreign Relations, to attempt to deny these truths from being shared by 2008 Presidential Candidate Ron Paul?
Will they avert disaster by becoming students and advocates of the Non-Aggression Principle like Gandhi, Jesus Christ, Martin Luther, and others?
Will they read "The Revolution, A Manifesto" by Ten Term Congressman, Texas OBGYN Doctor, and 2008 Presidential Candidate Ron Paul?
Posted by: Ron Paul | May 14, 2008 at 08:26 AM
Once again, Ron Paul, OMG! No One is reading your book. Drop it.
Susan, at least you admit you are wrong.
Posted by: valley girl | May 15, 2008 at 12:08 AM
Dear Valley Girl,
In the next few months millions will read my best seller. Most will come to the correct conclusions. You might want to read Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" also.
Sincerely,
Ron Paul
Posted by: Ron Paul | May 15, 2008 at 08:03 AM
Leila and entire Bureau staff:
I've just finished reading Cockburn's "The Occupation." It makes it abundently clear--both in the text and between the lines--just how dangerous an environment Iraq is for journalists.
When soldiers exhibit conspicuous bravery and courage, they are sometime recognized with medals. For war correspondents, the best rewards flow from their dedication to their craft, and--perhaps--from the appreciation of distant readers.
I'm deeply appreciative. I'd pin a medal on each and every person in the Bureau--and especially on the Iraqi staffers. May God protect you all.
Posted by: IceNine | May 17, 2008 at 05:30 PM
This post is off-topic, but I'll risk an aside to Representative Paul:
I'm a registered Independent with a long history of voting for minor parties or casting write-in votes. I'm keeping an open mind about your candidacy. I am seriously considering casting a write-in for you in November.
I strongly agree with your stands on the Bill of Rights and dismantling the American Empire. I strongly disagree with your economic proposals, your view of the proper domestic role of government, and your semi-isolationist foreign policy. So the pluses-and-minuses seem like a wash right now. But I'm a HUGE Bill of Rights guy and that alone may tip me toward you in the end.
One final thought: I'm a fiction writer. Ayn Rand is not. "Atlas Shrugged" is a polemic masquerading as fiction.
[I apologize to other readers for straying so far from the agonies of Sadr City.]
Posted by: IceNine | May 17, 2008 at 06:10 PM
well, all you left leaners. I have been in Iraq for 2 years and afgan for a year. until you are willing to lay you hankies down and walk the IZ and talk to the Iraqi Citizens every day. You should really just keep your mouth closed. Opening it just makes you look stupid and ingnerant.
Posted by: chad | June 01, 2008 at 12:19 PM
Fedal,
This is the first time I have read your blog. It is informative and honest and valuable.
Thanks for it.
Paul, California, ex-Marine
Posted by: paul | June 16, 2008 at 07:37 PM
Leila,
I just wanted to say that I really appreciate your comments regarding life in Iraq. So many Americans, and probably people from other nations as well, are too detached from the war and the information you provide has given me a glimpse into this complex conflict. I'm a firm believer that the citizens of a democracy must be well informed, so I'm grateful when I find a source that isn't tainted by motives of pundits and politicians. Thank you so much.
Posted by: E.J. Foust | June 20, 2008 at 07:31 PM