BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 19, 2007
U.S. Defense Secretary Gates Visits Basra
Also Friday, Raid Arresting Aide Of Iraqi Militia Leader Is Reported
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Play CBS Video Video Preparation For Troop Buildup The U.S. military is clearing the streets of Baghdad, cracking down on security in anticipation of a troop surge. Lara Logan reports.
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Video Democracy Promoters Killed Lara Logan reports from Baghdad on a recent incident of violence that killed four members of a group that promotes democracy there, including one American woman.
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Video Brutal Violence In Baghdad Violence escalated in Iraq when terrorists targeted a centuries-old university. Two bombs exploded in succession, killing scores of students on their way home after class. Lara Logan reports.
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Palm trees and bombs: an explosion in a parked car blew up Jan. 18, 2007, in this busy shopping district in the religiously-mixed neighborhood of Ilwiya, Baghdad, killing 4 people and injuring 10. (AP)
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Another Baghdad car bomb Jan. 18, 2007, in front of a mosque, targeted a police patrol, killing two officers and wounding two others, while killing two civilians and wounding nine others. (AP)
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A car bomb that killed one person and wounded eight others Jan. 18, 2007, damaged this bank in the al-Mashtal section of eastern Baghdad. (AP)
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A man prays at the Imam Ali shrine in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, Iraq, Jan. 18, 2007. (AP)
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Interactive New Plan For Iraq Key elements of the plan, excerpts from the president's speech, reaction and more.
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Interactive Iraq: A Turning Point? New Congress, change at the Pentagon, study group report; what does the future hold?
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Interactive American Heroes Profiles of U.S. soldiers who've died in Iraq, a look at the war's toll and pictures of mourning.
Britain, which has the largest troop contingent among the U.S. allies, with about 7,000 soldiers in the Basra area, is planning to withdraw a large portion of them this year.
Gates said at the outset of his weeklong overseas trip that he realized the security situation in southern Iraq is different than in Baghdad, where the U.S. is building up its troop strength.
Gates was meeting with Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, as well as Maj. Gen. Jonathan Shaw, the newly arrived commander of British forces here. Later Gates was to meet with commanders from Poland, Australia, Denmark and Romania, and have lunch with coalition troops who are training the Iraqi army.
On his first visit to Iraq after being sworn in on Dec. 18, Gates met in Baghdad with U.S. commanders and Iraqi government leaders just weeks before President Bush announced his new strategy for Iraq, which includes sending an additional 21,500 troops to Baghdad and the western Anbar region.
For security reasons, the visit of the Pentagon chief was not made public until after his arrival, which came hours after a report from the Iraqi capital of the arrest of a top aide to the most powerful militia leader in the country.
The U.S. military says only that special Iraqi army forces captured a high-level, illegal armed group leader during a raid in eastern Baghdad. The name of the detainee has yet to be made public.
But an official at the offices of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr – who leads the Mahdi Army as well as the political group which was instrumental in putting Nouri al-Maliki in power as prime minister - says Sheik Abdul-Hadi al-Darraji, al-Sadr's media director in Baghdad, was captured in the eastern neighborhood of Baladiyat.
The Mahdi Army has been in the spotlight since President Bush last week unveiled his latest plan on Iraq - centered on increasing U.S. troops with the aim of reducing ethnic violence in Iraq. A number of critics of the Bush plan pointed to al-Sadr and the Mahdi army as a weakness in that plan - since al-Sadr's support is a big part of what keeps the prime minister in power, and al-Sadr's militia has also been suspected of involvement in ethnic violence.
Thursday, apparently reacting to recent criticism that he would be reluctant to go after militia gunmen loyal to one of his key political backers, the Iraqi Prime Minister announced that 400 fighters from the Mahdi Army have been arrested over the past several weeks.
Thursday's announcement marks the first time the Shiite prime minister has specifically detailed any arrests of figures from the Mahdi Army militia.
Yassin Majid, a senior al-Maliki adviser, said reports that dozens of senior militia leaders were detained are incorrect.
In other recent developments:
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See all 30 CommentsOne more thing.The practice of TUQIYYAH may be accepted in SUNNI ISLAM also but only when a mulsim fears about his life before an infidels whereas it's an obligation in SHIA ISLAM on daily basis and the way it's practiced in the SHIA ISLAM is that FOOLING INFIDELS or LYING TO THEM in order to kill them and harm them is one of the best actions in the eyes of ALLAH.The most authentic book of SHIA ISLAM after KORAN is USOOL-A-KAFEE written by Muhammad Bin Yaqoob Al Kalinee.That book says
"La deena liman lam tuqiyyah lah"
Translation
"One who doesn't practice TUQIYYAH don't have a RELIGION"
It also says
"La Imana liman lam tuqiyyah lah"
"One who doesn't practice TUQIYYAH don't have FAITH".
It was very important for Bush administration to study RADICAL ISLAM carefully before waging a war in Iraq and loosing a war against an enemy who doesn't have ARMY,AIR FORCE,NAVY and MARINE.
One can easily see the difference TUQIYYAH makes by the way SHIA and SUNNI fought in IRAQ.SUNNI extremist had started INSURGENCY from the day 1 where as SHIA RADICALS had shown a beautiful face of TUQIYYAH till they achieved their goial of taking US weapons and money for killing US troops.
With any luck, he will not return.
I am glad to see your post.I am sorry to say that if you look at the current Bush administration,they are very ill-informed about the Middle Eastern cultures and religions but don't want to listen to any body period.We need to learn a lot of lessons from Iraq situation.The most important lesson I've learned is that a SECULAR DICTATOR in the MIDDLE EAST is much better then a DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED RELIGIOUS RADICAL.2nd lesson is that we should first learn the enemy's culture and religion(in case of RADICAL ISLAM)and then fight.The third lesson is that we should keep all sorts of religions and religious beliefs out of politics and make our policies on the basis of what suites our interests not on the thousands of years old BIBLICAL FAIRY TALE STORIES.
A question to you and anyone else who reads this: Why do people like you and I know about these things, and the people who are supposed to be leading this country apparently have no clue? I first read about this in 1979 after the seizure of our embassy in Tehran. We have been at war with these people ever since. One would think that after 27 years, someone in the government should know better than to implement the ham-handed policies that we have pursued.
Iraqi Shias are more extremist then Iranian Shias as the Holiest places of the Shia Islam namely NAJAF and KARBALA are in IRAQ.It was very obvious and a common sense thing for anybody having a little bit know how of that region that those Shias who live their lives on the orders and religious verdicts of those Ayatollahs who call us THE GREATEST SATAN were supposed to elect the most ANTI-AMERICAN and MOST religiously devoted person as a Prime Minister.Why had Germany and France opposed US war against Iraq.Do they love Islam or Muslims?No!but actually because they understand that region a little more then BUSH and Neo-Cons in our country.Both SHIA and SUNNI RADICALS hate us and want to kill us eventhough their mode of operation and goals are different.Sunni extremist are our open enemies whereas Shias are playing a TUQIYYAH game of fooling us by taking our TAX MONEY and OUR WEAPONS on the name of REBUILDING IRAQ and ARMING IRAQI SECURITY FORCES to kill our troops and supply rest of the weapons and money to their HEZBOLLAH and HAMAS brothers so they can kill all the NON-MUSLIMS in that region to help the 2nd coming of their FINAL IMAM MEHDI.Once they get the control of Oil,we'll be sent back to the stone ages.
And Bush is sending more US troops to risk their lives to help Maliki when he has never proven himself a friend to the US. Instead he's hobnobbing with Iran and al-Sadr. I have to conclude that Bush really is stupid, especially to give him his support ("Maliki's the man for the job") after getting snubbed by him previously.
As for what to do, the Middle East is a dangerous area so we probably need to keep a military presence there for a long time to protect US interests (yes, it's the oil!). We need to keep an eye on Iran and to a lesser extent Syria. But we shouldn't use our military to solve someone else's problem! Especially when that guy has never proven himself to be a friend to the US and likes to backtalk to the US.
What can we do?What do you propose?It's very frustrating to see how our enemies are benfited and we are getting hurt by Bush's policies.
It not difficult to fool a fool.....
"The Shiites will need those weapons to eradicate Sunnis".
They need those weapons now kill US soldiers deployed in Iraq.
Maliki is practicing his faith by fooling us to please his ALLAH.
Shia Islam is based on a concept called TUQIYYAH(Fooling infidels or lying to them in order to harm them or kill them is one of the best actions to please ALLAH).
We need to understand their TUQIYYAH game and shouldn't allow them to fool us anymore like they fooled us by taking our tax payed money on the name of REBUILDING IRAQ and our WEAPONS on the name of IRAQI SECURITY FORCES to kill our troops.Another concept both the SHIA and SUNNI ISLAM is based on is AL WALA WAL BARA FILLAH(LOVE FOR THE SAKE OF ALLAH and HATRED FOR THE SAKE OF ALLAH).They have been taught to hate us and kill us for pleasing their ALLAH and to love each other for pleasing ALLAH.It's impossible that Maliki will take any action against his SHIA BROTHERS like SADR and MEHDI ARMY.I know it's hard to understand for people who don't have enough knowlege about the RADICAL ISLAM.I bet all those RADICAL SHIAs under captivity are living a FIVE STAR LIFESTYLE and we are fooled again so that hey can get more weapons from us to kill our soldiers.
Posted by Rafterman1 at 06:02 PM
Just look at the former Yugoslavia. It's now a collection of secular/ethnic states as will be Iraq.
Unfortunately, it's going to take possibly thousands more Amercian lives before the diehard Bush koolaid drinkers realize it.
U right. The Iraqi soldiers took the premature-babies from their incubators and put them on the cold floor to die. Just wondering how could that be true; Kuwaity temperature at that time should be around 80 some degrees.
And U're right; she was the daughter of the then Kuwaity ambassador in USA.
What a big lie! like many others going on then and now. Unforgettable.
The Shiites will need those weapons to eradicate all Sunnis after we are gone!! Maybe while we are still there! Maybe even with our help!
So in order to maintain George Bush's legacy we will participate in genocide!
Thank you. However, most independent military experts place the number of additional troops needed to stabilize Iraq at about 8 times your suggested figure, in addition to the troops already there now.
You have nailed it dead on.
Iran has wanted territory in Iraq for centuries and now they will have it because the greedy neocons got Clueless Leader to lie and spin and give the go ahead for the invasion. As much as I hate to say it, at this point we would throw 80,000 troops or more in order to even have a slim chance of changing the outcome.
Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, released a statement last night in regards to the bi-partisan resolution opposing Bubba Dubya's escalation saying "Its focus rightly hinges on a diplomatic and political solution as a military solution is no longer feasible in Iraq."
I see two political drivers for this escalation:
1. Bubba Dubya is desperately attempting to avoind the legacy of an utter moron.
2. The NeoCons realize that they played right into Iran's hands by taking out Hussein and allowing Iran to extend their sphere of influence into SE Iraq - something they could not accomplish on their own when Hussein held the reigns of power. The NeoCons are desperately attempting to avoid that eventuality.
They will fail on both counts regardless of how many warriors or how much treasure is wasted in the attempt. Iraq will degenerate into secular states giving Iran exactly what it wanted and history will label Bubba as a total buffoon for fragmenting Iraq and giving Iran it's coveted prize.
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