Battle For Diwaniyah Rages On In Iraq

In Major Offensive, Iraqi Troops Try To Drive Shiite Militia Out Of City; 21 More Bodies Dumped In Streets

(AP)  "Although the army now is in the city, gunmen still have an armed presence. This will take time to finish. We are backed by friendly multinational forces and had it not been for them we would not have been able to detect and dismantle so many roadside bombs today," the general said.

Al-Ghanemi said the tipping point in Diwaniyah was March 20, when militiamen attacked and set fire to police roadblocks in 15 southeast neighborhoods and turned them into no-go zones for the authorities.

Much of the Diwaniyah police force is said to be controlled by the Badr Brigade, a rival militia of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the country's most powerful Shiite political party. SCIRI, as it is known, controls the Qadisiyah provincial council.

Police were ordered off the streets Saturday and some residents said the Iraqi military did not trust them. But Brig. Sadiq Jaafar, the city police chief, said his men were sent indoors because they were too poorly equipped to be of use in the fighting.

An Iraqi army official, speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to release the figures, said three civilians and three Mahdi Army fighters died in the Saturday battle. At least 29 people were wounded — 21 civilians, six Iraqi soldiers and two American soldiers.

The official said U.S. and Iraqi forces captured 36 militiamen.

In its account of the second day of fighting, the U.S. military reported only one Iraqi death, that of the militiaman hit in the airstrike. It said three U.S. soldiers received minor cuts in a roadside bombing that destroyed their Humvee.

"Fighting was less steady than yesterday's actions. Our assessment is that our operations are being effective," said Maj. Eric Verzola, spokesman for the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division.

Iraqi police and hospital officials said at least one of the civilian dead and five of the wounded were victims of American tank fire on their home. They had to be pulled from the rubble of their home, and evacuated to Diwaniyah hospital, police said.

The U.S.-Iraqi drive into Diwaniyah — named "Operation Black Eagle" — began before dawn Friday.

The Mahdi Army, the focus of the offensive, is run by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who had ordered Baghdad militiamen to lay down their weapons during the security crackdown in the capital.

Many of the Diwaniyah fighters were thought to have left Baghdad and were using the American preoccupation with the capital to cement their hold on parts of the southern city.

Al-Sadr's office in Diwaniyah said militia fighters had destroyed three American vehicles and seized a robot used to explode roadside bombs.

Diwaniyah sits on a Euphrates River tributary and in some of Iraq's most fertile farmland. The predominantly Shiite city, 80 miles south of Baghdad, has two major factories, one that makes automobile batteries and a second producing tires. The population is between 400,000 and a half-million.

Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf told reporters Saturday that the Baghdad security plan was being expanded — in addition to Diwaniyah — to Mosul in the far north and Basra in the deep south.

[kaliveotin]

Ignorant americans. stil*fu****1234 seems to be very confused. He (or she) attacks liberals and IRAQs people, but still seems to support the Republican administration. He (or she) seems to be making arguements in support of liberals who are opposed to the war. Still, he (or she) tries to make fun of of those who believe the BUsh administration is evil while making arguements that our involvement in IRAQ is a bad joke and could never have been sucessfull. Liberals don't believe "Brave Iraquies are fending off americans, but its hard to see the masses in Iraquies as supporting americans. He (or she) doesn't seem to have a clue about anything, expressing a mind in complete chaos and without rational understanding. Monkeys are capable of emotional attacks without reason.

P.S. The world is full of rainbows, flowers and marijuana in spite of the very evil Bush administration and individuals like still ****** 1234. ( Chaney was one of four in congress who voted against head start. Bushes simplistic zealotry and lack of empathy, Rumsfields fascist arrogance, and OUR attourney generals dishonesty speak for themselves.

[stfu1234]

Wow. There's nothing like hearing ignorant people going of on a soapbox about the "evil" bush administration, "atrocities" committed by US troops, and the brave iraqis fending off the agressive americans. if that's the way you feel then take a trip to iraq and try to sympathize with the iraqis. i'd give it 24 hours before you're spotted and another 48 hours before your head is no longer attached to your shoulders. By the way, they won't give you a clean cut they'll saw your head off with a machette. Then to top it all off you'll be on foxnews and cnn. Bottomline is that the vast majority of you have never set foot in iraq. If you had you would realize that the problem in iraq is the iraqis themselves. We've done everything we can do to help them, yet Iraqi Security Forces remain corrupt and incompetent. It takes a brutal dictator like saddam to control these unshaven filthy neanderthals. This isn't about Jihad or resisting American occupation. 95% of insurgents don't care about either. For them its about money and power. This may come as a shock to the extreme left wing, but the world is not full of flowers, rainbows, and marijuana. Iraqis are violent neanderthals that haven't changed their ways since about 3000 BC. I just ask that you ignorant people would stop spewing feces out of your mouth and accept the fact that you DON'T have the slightest clue what's going on in Iraq. I'm sure this comment will offend some, however I really don't care.

[stfu1234]

Wow. There's nothing like hearing ignorant people going of on a soapbox about the "evil" bush administration, "atrocities" committed by US troops, and the brave iraqis fending off the agressive americans. if that's the way you feel then take a trip to iraq and try to sympathize with the iraqis. i'd give it 24 hours before you're spotted and another 48 hours before your head is no longer attached to your shoulders. By the way, they won't give you a clean cut they'll saw your head off with a machette. Then to top it all off you'll be on foxnews and cnn. Bottomline is that the vast majority of you have never set foot in iraq. If you had you would realize that the problem in iraq is the iraqis themselves. We've done everything we can do to help them, yet Iraqi Security Forces remain corrupt and incompetent. It takes a brutal dictator like saddam to control these unshaven filthy neanderthals. This isn't about Jihad or resisting American occupation. 95% of insurgents don't care about either. For them its about money and power. This may come as a shock to the extreme left wing, but the world is not full of flowers, rainbows, and marijuana. Iraqis are violent neanderthals that haven't changed their ways since about 3000 BC. I just ask that you ignorant people would stop spewing feces out of your mouth and accept the fact that you DON'T have the slightest clue what's going on in Iraq. I'm sure this comment will offend some, however I really don't care.

[firststate]

Since the Shia are the majority in Iraq, they elected a majority Shi'ite government, no surprise to anyone but dicknbush. They assumed that a democratic government would be pro-American; they missed the part where if a majority in Iraq is pro-Iran, the democratic government will be pro-Iran.

The idea of getting rid of Saddam had been Iran's fantasy for years. They fought Iraq through the 80's and only managed a draw, then we did it for them. Dicknbush owed our troops a plan to prevent Iraq from descending into sectarian violence and civil war, as the smart people had warned Duh-bya would happen without enough troops. Then Bremmer disbanded the police and military. Did they expect the honor system to maintain order? Their post-Saddam planning was limited to providing antihistamines for allergic reactions to all the flowers the troops would be given.

If Duh-bya had fought through his "Daddy" issues with a shrink instead of the military, the world would be better. Now, he's got Iraq and like a drunk who's wrestled an alligator until he gets a firm grip on it and realizes he has no idea what to do now that he has it.

[waynabq]

U.S. forces are conducting air strikes on "Shiite Militias"? Now who in the hell is the enemy now? Wasn't Hussein a Sunni and wasn't that the reason Bush installed a Shia majority government?

Bush and his army of idiot followers are spouting off *** like we won't leave until "victory" is achieved over our "enemies".

These freakin' morons don't have a clue who the "enemy" is nor what constitutes "victory". If anything, the presence of U.S. troops may be the root cause of the instability in Iraq. Pretty ironic that this "surge" is actually making the situation worst and not better.

The very government that Bush installed may be the "enemy".

[waynabq]

U.S. forces are conducting air strikes on "Shiite Militias"? Now who in the hell is the enemy now? Wasn't Hussein a Sunni and wasn't that the reason Bush installed a Shia majority government?

Bush and his army of idiot followers are spouting off *** like we won't leave until "victory" is achieved over our "enemies".

These freakin' morons don't have a clue who the "enemy" is nor what constitutes "victory". If anything, the presence of U.S. troops may be the root cause of the instability in Iraq. Pretty ironic that this "surge" is actually making the situation worst and not better.

The very government that Bush installed may be the "enemy".

[waynabq]

Bush supporters are deranged, violent retards. Remember how these morons were so eager to invade Iraq and follow the Chimp into Iraq to "free" Iraq from a "brutal" dictator?

Now these very same Bush supporting morons are all gung-ho to hunt and kill Iraqis who resist the current U.S. occupation. How's that any different from what Saddam the "Brutal Dictator" was doing in an attempt to maintain stability in his country?

In fact, it would be accurate to say Bush's policies are killing a great deal more innocent Iraqis than Saddam ever did or could have imagined.

Some of this blood-thirsty Gomers are advocating "Nuking" the whole place. How sincere do you think these idiots were when they wanted to "Free" the Iraqis from "oppression"? Bush supporters are violent deranged and murderous hypocritical retards.

[feelfree1]

dallison7,

Re: "...and isn't it a shame that our military is caught up in a conflict where we have to take a poll to find out who wants to kill us!!"

Indeed it is.

[dallison7]

Surveys have shown that the majority of Iraqis support attacks against the brutal illegal invaders of their country.

Iraqis have every right to defend themselves against/resist this horrific Bush regime crusade, and they have done a very effective job of it, as we have seen.
Posted by feelfree1

This is true, and isn't it a shame that our military is caught up in a conflict where we have to take a poll to find out who wants to kill us!!

This is the kind of quagmire Bush has gotten us into!!

[feelfree1]

thehobman,

Re: "Im Sick Of The Press All Doom And Gloom"

Somewhere, there is a hole in the sand, missing your head.

[thehobman]

The Press Is A fountain Of Information For The
Enemy But We Have To Protect Them. I Think As Long
As They Are Over There They Should Protect Themselfs..They Have All The Ratings And Money.
They Never Have Any Good News On Anything Good
We Do, Only Everything Bad}}}
Because They Are Experts They Hide Behind Freedom Of The Press,,,They Have Killed Many Solders Because Of There Information They Let Out On Everything We Do,,,,If I Was In Charge I Would Tell Them Get Out..Or Go On The Otherside And See
How Long You Will Last...

Im Sick Of The Press All Doom And Gloom

[feelfree1]

dlpracer,

Re: "The whole world will celebrate when these Bush regime sub-humans are finally brought to justice!"

Good point.

[dlpracer]

That was a general comment. What made you think that it was directed at you?

Are you feeling defensive about something?



Not even a little bit, however YOU are the one that addressed the following to ME.

...time to get back to rehab?, or the home.





dlpracer,

President Bush's legacy is sure to be defined by fraud, illegitimacy, deception, corruption, piracy, mass-murder, deceit, torture, and above all, 'miserable failure'.

Many top Nazis faced death by hanging for acts which are remarkably similar to the Bush regime record.

The whole world will celebrate when these Bush regime sub-humans are finally brought to justice!

[feelfree1]

djconklin,

Re: "Never, ever concede victory to those who are out to destroy you."

Whatever you say, Ahab.

[djconklin]

It is way past time to get out of Iraq.

Never, ever concede victory to those who are out to destroy you.

[feelfree1]

How is it going in Iraq?

Here is an excellent summary, provided by a brave and articulate young Iraqi woman, who posts under the alias "Riverbend":

"And yet, as the situation continues to deteriorate both for Iraqis inside and outside of Iraq, and for Americans inside Iraq, Americans in America are still debating on the state of the war and occupation- are they winning or losing? Is it better or worse.

"Let me clear it up for any moron with lingering doubts: It%u2019s worse. It%u2019s over. You lost. You lost the day your tanks rolled into Baghdad to the cheers of your imported, American-trained monkeys. You lost every single family whose home your soldiers violated. You lost every sane, red-blooded Iraqi when the Abu Ghraib pictures came out and verified your atrocities behind prison walls as well as the ones we see in our streets. You lost when you brought murderers, looters, gangsters and militia heads to power and hailed them as Iraq%u2019s first democratic government. You lost when a gruesome execution was dubbed your biggest accomplishment. You lost the respect and reputation you once had. You lost more than 3000 troops. That is what you lost America. I hope the oil, at least, made it worthwhile."

http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com

[feelfree1]

Returning to topic:

It is way past time to get out of Iraq.

www.ipetitions.com/petition/OutNow

[feelfree1]

dlpracer,

Re: "So if you want a democrat president..."

What the hell are you talking about?

[feelfree1]

dlpracer,

Re: "BTW, I haven't defended Bush on anything, I just challenged YOU. Did you miss debating class?"

That was a general comment. What made you think that it was directed at you?

Are you feeling defensive about something?

[dlpracer]

The remaining Bush regime dead-enders will not only be remembered as colossal failures/traitors to the human race, but as THE most gullible splinter group of deluded/demented extemists in history!




Oh my, did you have to rush off to your thesaurus
to get all those big words??

Good grief, your emotions are overwhelming your limited capacity of independent thought. Try reading a different newspaper.

Good luck with the rest of your life.

Try again.

BTW, I haven't defended Bush on anything, I just challenged YOU. Did you miss debating class?